


A New Deception

by Vivagrazia



Series: Changing Paths [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Feelings, Gen, Grant Ward Redemption, Hurt/Comfort, Plotty, Pre-Relationship, Skye-centric, Slow Burn, Team as Family, but there's some cutesy moments, feeeeeels, non-canon Skye Origin Story, romance is not focus, season one personas, some comic book lore, they're all main characters though, whole team fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-14 15:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 73,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4569624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vivagrazia/pseuds/Vivagrazia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being the test subject of a Hydra compound Skye wakes up in a whole other situation with a new set of grisly problems. While she grapples to make sense of the happenings in her life, the team, plus one Grant Ward, search her out the best they can.</p><p>(takes place as an AU of the S1 finale where Ward succeeded in capturing Skye for Hydra.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Skye's Chagrin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a sequel. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of part one (it's ok, but I think this one is much better... especially a few chapters in). So if you don't want to bother with that, feel free to read this recap and continue onward! If you want to read the prequel, check out A New Vantage. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _Previously: Skye had been a test at a Hydra facility for a few days after being caught by Ward as an AU to the Season One finale. When Garrett decides he needs to see her blood, he cuts into her hand, though Ward stops him from going any farther. Raina takes Skye to get it bandaged up and knocks her out in the process, leaving her clueless to what's happening around her in the next few days._  
>  _The team infiltrated the Hydra compound and Skye was not there (though Coulson, who'd also been captured, and a miraculously healed Fitz, who had been in a coma, was). One of their new agents, Agent Wolfe, is now believed dead after the team's face-off with Garrett, in which Ward killed his old SO._
> 
>  
> 
> _Which leaves the team back together with an interesting situation in Grant Ward and a single question: Where is Skye?_

Skye woke up gently, a soft breeze ebbing at her cheeks and urging her into consciousness. She moved, though stinted and not far, as she attempted to stretch. Her mind conceded it must have been a rough night with how sore she was. Everywhere except her legs.

In fact, she couldn’t feel her legs.

Her eyes jolted apart to get acquainted with her surroundings and she instantly screamed in shock from what was in front of her. It wasn’t necessarily a bad sight, she just usually wasn’t so close to such a thing.

Which was the sky.

She gasped out a few more startled screams, frantically whipping her head about to see her surroundings, causing a cart she was in to swing back and forth, before calming herself somewhat.

There were a few things to take note of: it was night, she was still in the hospital gown… and she was sitting in the buggy of a Ferris wheel.

Skye tried to recount the last thing that had happened to her, as she was aware that it was normal to be slightly disoriented in the first moments of waking, so maybe she just forgot about something.

She didn't exactly remember getting into a Ferris wheel, riding to the top and falling asleep there.

What she did remember was Garrett, Ward, Raina… and  _Fitz,_ lying unmoving _._  Next thing she knew, Garrett had her hand sliced open and she was becoming fairly certain he was about to flay her alive, but Ward stopped him.

Damn Ward. Doing exactly what she asked him not to. But at the moment, if she were being honest, she'd been pretty thankful for it.

It was a blur then; Raina guided her away to stitch up her hand and told her she was giving her something to numb the pain. This had been, of course, a straight up lie, and Skye had known that from the moment the woman had put the needle into her upper arm as opposed to anywhere near the area that had been cut. Skye had fallen asleep, and that was the last thing she'd known.

Until she’d woken up on a damn carnival ride.

Skye tentatively picked her body up, careful not to disturb her still raw hand, which she noted had been bandaged. She couldn't go very far; the bar used to restrain people into the seat had been pushed dangerously harshly onto her legs. But from her limited vision she was able to make out some sort beach. Gentle, small waves of water lapped onto the shore of the sand.

 _Must be near a coast, then,_  she thought.

There were other carnival rides, but most looked half fallen apart or like they hadn't been used in years.

She sat back again. Had someone left her up here to just… starve? This was bizarre. Maybe it was one of Raina's tests to see how she'd react.

Well, it might be a surprise to that woman, but Skye was pretty dang scared.

"Hello?" she called out hoarsely, like she hadn't used her voice in a while. It came to her attention she had no idea how long she'd been asleep, only fueling her terror. "Is anyone there?"

That's when she heard people snickering. One person told another to ‘shut up’. Skye thought the worst thing she would hear was silence, but her heart speeding up told her otherwise…

"I know you're down there, creeps!" she shouted, unable to move herself enough to look directly down.

It appeared that whoever was down there couldn't help themselves anymore, and she heard the group burst out with laughter as cruel guffaws filled the air.

"Aw, does Skye not like it up there in the sky?" said someone. A man's voice, maybe a boy's.

"The air feel pretty crisp?" asked another.

"See, I told you it would be funny if we had her wake up in that thing," added yet another.

Skye wanted to cry. Or maybe she was just on the verge of a panic attack. Either way her unseen tantalizers were getting to her, but she hoped for only the reasons that she was confused, uncomfortable and already had had enough to be miserable about without these frustrating shenanigans.

Instead, she tried focusing on something else. There were three voices; hopefully, only three people. And they sounded pretty young. If she played this right, and given the proper opportunity, she could get away.

After they’d had their fill of laughing they seemed to grow bored as they quieted. Skye wasn't saying anything, and it was difficult to see her anyway. She was at the very highest point.

"Alright, get her down," said a new voice. Oh, _great._ That made at least four people, not to mention this one sounded older.

"Sure thing, dude. Uh, just gotta see how…" There was sudden jerk of the cart, and Skye's hands sprung out to grab the front handle, though the gauze around her left made it pretty useless. "There’s the switch! Alright, remember, try to not to shake it too much coming down and keep all hands and feet inside the ride."

She might have been some sort of prisoner in the strangest kidnapping ever, but Skye could not hold back an eye roll.

She then began her descent, practicing her game face so by the time she got down there they wouldn't notice how truly shaken she was by this sudden occurrence (even if these people appeared immature).

"The Skye is falling, the Skye is falling!" she heard one of them shout, to which the other chuckled.

Ok, definitely immature.

When she got to a point where she could visibly see her abductors, she was able to take note of how the voices matched the faces. Three boys looked no older than twenty, but then there was an older man who must have been at least fifty years old.

The cart came to a stop in front of them with an ominous thud as the tallest boy walked up to her. They were all dressed like wannabe thugs, hats on backwards and pants halfway down their asses. All but the older man, who just wore jeans and a t-shirt.

"Festival's in town I see,” Skye said finally, trying to keep her tone light and block the fear from seeping in; stop her voice from shaking.  “Though, I'm not exactly sure what festival, or town… Care to shed some light on that?"

"Shh, shh. Cargo doesn't ask questions," one kid told her, bringing a finger gently to her lips, which she quickly whipped her head away from. He frowned. "Or else."

He brought out from his pocket a Taser and all his little friends began to chuckle. Skye had the good sense to look worried, but honestly, the object had given her an idea. It help that she was fairly certain these kids were made up of ninety percent idiot.

Skye merely swallowed, closing her mouth and gearing her gaze straight ahead.

He circled to the front of her, maybe to get in her vision. The teen tilted his head sideways, as if examining her chest… which, a moment later she knew that's exactly what he'd been doing when he brought one long finger up to pull her collar away from her skin. Skye decidedly didn't bat him away, instead just avoiding his gaze as she peered off to the side meekly, biting her lip to brace the invasion of privacy.

"What do you say we get you out of these E.R. looking clothes. I can help you out with that…"

"Yeaaah, get it, Ronnie!" one of the boys cheered.

"Hey, come on, none of that now," the older man spoke up. "You know the boss wants to see her."

"Is your boss John Garrett?" Skye couldn't help but ask, curiosity getting the better of her. She was only rewarded by a sharp tug to the back of her head, her hair pulled back fiercely.

"What'd I say about asking questions?" Ronnie growled into her ear.

She nodded in meager understanding. Then he let go of her, jerking her head forward with his hand as he did.

"Come on, just get her out," said the older guy, clearly losing patience. At least Skye wasn’t the only one…

"Fine," huffed Ronnie. Another boy came up beside him, a large, somewhat dorky smile on his face.

"It's gonna be blue  _skies_ for you, Skye."

"Jesus, shut up Ricky…" said the other boy in the back.

"What? It's funny. Her name is like one giant pun!"

Ronnie sighed with exasperation, shaking his head as he leaned in close to Skye. She didn't move, keeping her eyes down.

"You're gonna be really good now, you hear? When I undo this, no funny business."

Skye shook her head solemnly, not looking him in the eye.

She wasn't able to so much as relish the feeling of blood rushing through her legs again before Ronnie was hastily hauling her up by the arms, forcing her to stand. Though he did let her climb out of the cart herself.

Ronnie held onto her shoulder tightly, but Skye didn't waste another second. The moment she was out of the cart she reached into his pocket and made no hesitations tasing him.

As he plopped to the ground from the shock to the neck, Skye raised the weapon to the rest of them.

The pun guy, Ricky, lunged at her immediately and she attacked him without a pause. He basically ran right into her, maybe thinking he could take the shock. Two down, two to go.

"Guess the  _cargo's_  fighting back," she said smugly as she pointed the weapon. The other two men, the older one and one that had stayed mostly silent, were too far away for her to shock them right away, and they didn't come closer as long she was brandishing the taser.

But she was stupid. She was so focused on her two remaining threats that she had all but forgotten about the ones on the ground. They were in pain, but they weren't unconscious. She should have been more aware.

The tug to her leg sent Skye spiraling straight down under herself, shrieking in surprise. Her instincts had kicked in, reminding her that her only chance against them was with the taser, as it became priority number one as she fell. It didn't even touch the ground as she clutched it.

But she fell flat on her face, her chin connecting with the concrete in a way that made her jaw slam shut and distracted her for a good few moments.

Which meant her quick instincts had been in vain, as the remaining boy rushed over and kicked the taser out of her hand.

Next thing her ogled mind knew, the kid was hoisting her up. He was the biggest out of the four despite the fact that he appeared at least a couple years younger than her. He held her up by the hair as one of her hands was pinned behind her back, quite strategically. As in, it really hurt when she fought back. Not that it stopped her.

"You think that's funny?" he hissed in her ear. "You think you have a shot of getting away? There's nowhere to go around here!"

She didn't care what he was saying. There were two guys still on the ground, despite that they appeared to gaining back some movement. There was hope.

"I don't think it's funny. I think it's needed when some stupid kids think it's a game to kidnap a girl and trap her on top of a freaking Ferris wheel!" Skye seethed. "And actually, I changed my mind. It _was_ funny."

"Yeah, well, let's see how you like it!" He jerked her in the direction of the older man, who had tentatively picked up the taser. "C'mon, hit her with it! Make it a good one."

The unnamed, bulky kid forced her to look at the man as he approached her agonizingly slowly. Searching his eyes, Skye thought she saw a sliver of regret in his face.

The kid seemed to notice this too. "You saw what she just did! She deserves it."

"You're right," agreed the man, walking with a bit more determination to his step. He was right in Skye's face, where she gave him her most awful scowl. But his attention wasn’t directed currently at her face. He was looking at her stomach, right where she’d been shot. Almost like he knew her weakest point.

She braced herself for the attack, knowing it would be much worse if he decided to tase her there. Despite how amazing her recovery was, she was still sore in that place, physically as well as mentally.

He turned on the shock and lunged, but instead of a feeling of electricity, Skye felt the kid's hold on her tighten as he screamed, until his hands became lax and wasn't holding on to her at all.

Skye gawked in awe at the man in front of her as her captor fell to the ground. Did he really just attack his fellow kidnapper, or was he just that bad of a shot?

Skye immediately stepped out of the range for anyone to grab her, though she did so without taking her eyes off of the last man standing.

He held out his hands in a surrendering motion. "Skye, I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently. "I'm with SHIELD, and we need to go right now."

"Like I'm going anywhere with you!" she shouted, taking another step back. "You're one of them! I don't even really know who them is but… I know they're the bad guys and you're with them!"

"No, I'm not," he said calmly. "My name is Agent Wolfe. Please just come with me, I'll explain everything in the car."

Skye couldn't think. God knew if he was telling the truth; even if he had a SHIELD badge it would mean nothing as many of her enemies were just SHIELD agents that turned out to be Hydra.

But she didn't have to make a decision when her flight or fight reflex came to a conclusion for her: she bolted.

"Skye!" she heard the man shout behind her.

She didn't care; she just kept running.

Skye ran through the strange, abandoned carnival. The strings of her nightgown were coming undone and for a moment she thought she was going to lose it, but she managed to keep it on.

She stopped running only when she reached the end of the decrepit booths that she could only guess used to hold many colorful plushies, ending up near what was probably supposed to be a pretty scary fun house in the first place, but in it's deteriorated state looked indubitably creepy.

But she didn't stop to bask in scariness of the funhouse; she stopped because there was nowhere left to go. She stopped because the only thing in front of her was a seemingly endless amount of sand.

There had to be a road, somewhere. People used to come here for fun so there had to be an exit.

But all that was in her eye-line was a beach, with an overgrown forest lining it.

She then heard a banging coming from the fun house next to her. It seemed to have been monster themed, the doorway still having sinister teeth around it. The banging was insistent and Skye couldn’t be sure if someone was begging to get out or if they were just coming out. Loudly.

It could be someone just like her, waking up scared and confused. But it could have been the boss she'd been hearing about. Heck, it could have been a wild animal.

She'd just about made the choice to merely hike it over the beach to see how far she'd get when a black SUV pulled up to her, the passenger side door swinging insistently as it had been left open for the drive.

"Get in," the man called Wolfe, told her.

Skye took a deep breath.

Was this a smart decision? She couldn't even tell anymore. She had basically no information and didn't know who this guy was, but he did have points for helping her. The voices of the boys were definitely getting closer.

When Skye weighed the options of being with the creepy boys who put her in a Ferris wheel or the man who had tasered one of them, it seemed pretty clear.

She got in the car.

He sped off the moment she closed her door, leaving her to stare back at the disappearing wasteland as the car rolled over the sand.

"Don't forget to put on your seat belt," he told her with a friendly demeanor. She remembered what happened the last time she didn't listen to that particular order. Falling out of the top of a flying car wasn't something you forgot too easily. Of course, this was just a regular car. Maybe. He did claim to be SHIELD, after all.

Flying car or not, she put on her seatbelt.

By the time Skye raised her head up from putting the buckle in, Wolfe had a water bottle in his outstretched hand for her.

"Here, you must be thirsty. You were out for a while."

Skye didn't realize just how dry her throat was until she saw the liquid before her. She grabbed it greedily and drank it down.

That in silence for only a few seconds before it came to Skye’s attention the absence of sound was because she was at a loss of what to say.

"Thank you," she decided on. Thanking rescuers was a good start.

"Don't mention it," he told her lightly, like they hadn't been in some strange carnival prison a moment ago. "I'd like Coulson to see you in one piece."

She stared at the road ahead, suddenly having a hard time meeting her rescuer's eyes.

"I hate to break it to you but, Coulson's been captured by Hydra."

The agent took his eyes off the road then, just to give her a reassuring smile.

"Aw kiddo, you have a lot to catch up on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Glad Skye Got away from those creepers quickly...
> 
> Next up: We check in with Coulson and the team!
> 
> Did I mention there is another part in the series after this? I may not update as quickly as I did with Vantage given that the chapters are mostly longer, but interest always helps with my posting! Thanks guys, enjoy :)


	2. Coulson's Concern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson and the team regroup after defeating Garrett. Skye has a chat with her mysterious savior.

"So, the first mission didn't really pan out. Thank god this one did,” Fury huffed. “The loss of Agent Wolfe is tragic, but damn, you've got one hell of a good team, Coulson."

"Thank you, sir. It'll be better once we have all of us back together again though."

"Ah that's right; the girl."

Coulson felt good to be back on the BUS. He felt good having almost everyone back on the BUS, but the ‘almost’ part of that sentence was where the problem lay.

Coulson nodded. "Agent Skye was captured by Hydra and now is at an unknown location."

Despite the fact that the conversation was mainly being held between Fury and Coulson, all who made it out of Disney World were present: FitzSimmons, May, Triplett, Koenig… even Ward, though grudgingly to Coulson. The man was currently shackled and present because he might have useful information, but Coulson would feel better once he was locked up until they decided what to do with him for good.

"As sorry as I am about that I think I may need your help on another thing mentioned. You say some guy juiced with Gravitonium came… flying at you?”

"Looked more like he was  _made_  of Gravitonium," corrected Coulson.

"Actually, he's a highly revered physicist that was thought to be dead," interjected Simmons, smiling awkwardly when Fury turned his already exasperated face to look at her.

"Right," continued Fury. "I'm gonna need you on this Coulson. You and your team… or at least, most of them," he added after eyeing Ward warily.

"Yes sir, but… I need to have resources working on finding our missing agent, too."

" _This_ should be top priority. We have no idea what kind of a threat this guy is,” Fury barked. “And I told you to stop calling me sir."

"Yes but si- but, we can’t be sure what threat this man holds, if any, and we  _know_  Skye's in danger." Coulson paused, before adding, "And well… she may also  _be_  a danger."

FitzSimmons instantly shared a glance of confusion. Triplett cocked his head with intrigue. May took a deep breath. Ward… didn't move a muscle.

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Fury.

"Skye's an 0-8-4."

"An object of unknown origin? The only living thing I've known to be one of those was a baby girl over twenty years ago…" Fury's one good eye bulged as realization dawned upon his face. "Well damn."

"I know."

"Why haven't I been told this before?" scolded Fury. "That someone on your team may not be human?"

"We were keeping it quiet until we found out more facts… maybe that was the wrong choice, I don't know. But I do know that Hydra was trying to extract something out of her. Maybe attempting to make some sort of powers manifest."

"Hah," the nervous breath of a laugh burst through Simmons' lips. "Skye? Have powers? That's absurd!"

Fitz shook his head. "Now wait, let's think about this. She did seem to always win at Battleship…" he mused. "Which given that it's a game of chance perhaps means that she had some sort of-"

"Way to manipulate probability in her favor?" Simmons continued for him. "Or perhaps some sort of X-ray vision?"

"Skye does not have X-ray vision," said May. "She didn't know anything about her status. If she had something as obvious as that she would have come to us."

" _You_ knew?" asked Simmons incredulously.

May shrugged. "I was helping Skye look into her parents and that's what we found out."

"So the girl's not human?" said Trip. "That's a little… insane."

"More like  _out of this world_ ," Fitz put in jollily.

"Oh Fitz, now's really not the time," said Simmons.

"Back on the topic," Coulson said pointedly. "Finding Skye may be more of a priority than we know. I’m not sure how deep Hydra goes, but if they still have her, she could be used as a weapon."

Fury considered a moment, hands on his hips before he finally sighed. "Alright, sounds like it's pretty important you find your missing agent. I suppose I'll just have to enlist Agent Hill and Koenig to find Hall."

"Guess so."

"And Coulson?"

"Yes sir?

"Try not to lose this ride again."

Coulson nodded sheepishly. "I'll do my best, sir."

* * *

 

"Alright, let me see if I got all this right," said Skye, still processing the abundant amount of information she'd just been given. "We're in Ohio."

"Yes." (So much for her 'near the coast' theory. She’d never even considered beach water to be a lake.)

"You're a SHIELD agent…"

"Mmhm."

"And you've seen Coulson and my team, but you can't take me to them because they're deep undercover?"

Agent Wolfe nodded. "These people who had you might not have been Hydra, but you're still on Hydra's radar. We have to lay low before we contact the team."

Skye stared out the window at the endless green that Ohio seemed to be as she tried to make sense of the current situation. Her brain didn't want to cooperate; it still had to many questions to ask.

"Who was the boss you guys were talking about before?"

Wolfe shook his head with a rueful air, shrugging as his hands remained on the steering wheel. "Honestly, I don't know. I only talked to the guy on the phone. Orders were clear: when the package woke, bring it to the fun house."

So whoever wanted her had been the one making all that noise... seemed like a lot of trouble to hire a bunch of guys to bring her somewhere so close. But hey, what did Skye know about evil villains' plans? Assuming this guy was evil. Mad scientist could also be on the list of possibilities.

"How did you even know where I was?" asked Skye. "I mean you obviously got in contact with this dude somehow."

"I have an informant involved with Hydra. He got wind of you being sold and told me where you were heading. Though he didn't have much more information about the buyers."

 _Buyers. Sold._  No wonder they’d called her cargo.

Skye was used to being moved around. It came with the territory of being an orphan, a foster kid. When they don't want you they give you away.

But once they’d uncovered her to be an 0-8-4, suddenly everyone wanted her. Wanted to know what she was, wanted to use her blood.

Orphan. Object. Cargo. When was she going to just be a person? Well, if she really was an alien, she supposed the answer to that was actually… never.

"Stop the car," she told him.

"We should really put as much distance-"

"Look, I don't know you. I don't even know where the hell we're going, but I know I want you to stop the damn car!"

The man pulled the car over on the dark side street they'd been riding along. It was a country road, so there weren't many lights and rarely other people.

Skye got out of the SUV, hugging herself in the cold night. She even bounced a bit to keep her uncovered legs warm. Wolfe exited the car as well, watching her rub her hands up and down her arms when she started to take a few steps away from the vehicle.

"Skye, what are you doing?"

"I don't know!" she said fiercely, taking a breath of the fresh air. Or not so fresh; it smelled like some kind of animal poop. Cows, maybe?

"You can't just walk around in the middle of the night. You look like you escaped from a hospital."

"Tell me where we're going," Skye demanded.

"I'm not exactly sure, we just need to get out of the vicinity."

"See, that's not a normal answer. I need a normal answer. People don't just drive all random, they have a destination!"

The agent nodded. "Ok. So what do you want the destination to be?"

Skye pondered for a moment, letting herself relax as it sunk in that he was allowing her to make a decision.

"WalMart," she decided, prompting a surprised look out of the man. "If I've really been out for days like you said, these clothes are probably pretty disgusting. And honestly, medical gown really isn't exactly my idea of style anyway."

"Alright, I think we can do that," he answered in an overly cheery tone. He was probably trying to take her edge away. Skye _was_ aware of her crankiness, but her mind justified her bad attitude given her incredibly crappy week. "You want to be driver, or navigator?"

Skye was beginning to decide that she liked this guy. He seemed like he truly cared about her, and not just in an "I want to see that this agent home" kind of way. Like he really cared about her wants as a person. Which was weird since they'd just met, but she supposed that meant he must just be that nice to everyone he encountered.

"Driver, please," Skye told him in a chipper ton, wanting to feel herself have some semblance of control. Of course, the navigator was the one telling her where to go so she might have less control than she was alluded to, but being in charge of the vehicle would feel good.

He smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

They got into their respective seats, Skye cherishing the feeling of her hands on a steering wheel. She realized she hadn't driven herself anywhere in months. When she got back to the BUS, she needed to take her van out for an overdue joy ride.

Wolfe popped open the glove compartment. It held a few items, one of which was a gun. But the item that Wolfe reached for was a folded up pamphlet.

"No GPS, huh?" said Skye, staring at the map of Ohio.

"It's traceable. I'd think you would know that, young lady. Isn't your specialty computer science?"

"Yes, and therefore I get a little clingy to my satellites and electronics stuff," she said brazenly, somewhat offended. Though he'd said the comment jokingly enough. "Seriously, I don't think my hands have ever gone this long without touching a keyboard."

Wolfe laughed. "Well, I hate to break it to you kiddo, but you're stuck without it for a couple days."

"I get it," Skye pouted as she started the car. "You want to take all my fun away. So, which way, Mr. Navigator?"

"Looks like we should head east."

Skye saluted, fairly over-dramatically. "Yes, sir."


	3. Skye's Discomfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye heads to WalMart for some street clothes and ends up running into some trouble.

"Gotta say, I'm feeling kind of awkward about this," Skye said as she sat in WalMart's parking lot, fiddling with the strings to her medical gown. Mentor wasn't exactly a small town, but it wasn't anything special either: just a suburban city in Ohio. It would work well for blending in.

"There's really no need to," assured Wolfe.

"I could come inside with you."

"Last thing we need is to attract attention."

"Have you seen People of WalMart? This," she gestured to her outfit, "is more tame than 98% of the stuff that goes on there. Trust me, I used to frequent it. Like, as a visitor to the site, not pictures of me frequenting the internet…"

Wolfe smiled at her, but spoke with a somewhat serious tone. "People are looking for you. Just let me grab you some clothes and you can come with me to whatever place we end up at next."

"Fiiiine,' Skye agreed eventually.

"Alright so you need a small shirt, leggings or jeans, shoes, and some underwear. I think I can handle that. Any preference with that stuff?"

"Anything flannel would definitely make me feel at home but I'm good with whatever you come up with. Also um, do you think you could get me…" Skye let an uncomfortable chuckle push passed her lips. "Ah, never mind. I can just get it later."

"No tell me; it would be best if we just make one trip to a clothing store for a while."

Skye nodded, looking anywhere but his over-concerned eyes.

"I need a bra?" she stated uncertainly.

"Oh. Oh of course! I just figured you were wearing one… not that I was really giving it that much thought in the first place but-"

"Nope, they made me ditch it back at Hydra camp," she said quickly, still avoiding his vision.

Skye wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed; she was never one to be shy in the past. Girls had boobs. They needed boob holders. Facts of life, birds and the bees. Plus he was already buying her underwear, it's not like a bra was much different. It's just that he had thought of that part on his own.

"There's like a specific size you need right? Or is that something you have to try on?"

"Oh, I'm, um, a 32A. It should fit."

"Do you need more than one, or…"

"Nope, no, one should be fine. I've only got one pair," she added and felt her face immediately heat up. She bit her lip, smiling through it.

Wolfe grinned back at her, defining the lines in his face that had marked into his skin for doing it so often. She felt the awkward air diffuse a bit. "Sounds good. Be back soon."

Skye watched Wolfe leave the vehicle with a pang of envy. Locked up, once again.

As she crossed her arms and shuffled herself lower in the driver's side of the car, she recognized that she was being a little ridiculous. She wasn't actually locked up anywhere; this was just the most practical option.

She should actually feel ecstatic, given what Wolfe had filled her in on.

For one, Simmons was alive and completely fine. That alone had elicited tears of utmost happiness from Skye's eyes.

Next, he'd told her that Coulson had been rescued. Apparently Skye would have been picked up right along with him, but she had been missing from the facility by the time they’d gotten there. Damn… whoever's fault it was they moved her.

The last thing he told her was the most remarkable: Fitz had been found there as well, but entirely healed.

She would have almost not believed it after seeing him had she not gone through a similar process herself, but the agent assured her it was true.

All the good news had made having to wait to be back with them somewhat bearable. Or less so, as she still felt pouty with impatience.

With a sulky breath that moved the loose strands of hair away from her face she reached forward and turned the car battery on, therefore letting her control the radio.

She turned on some pop station. Her foot bounced to the beat of the unfamiliar song, her body relishing in the feeling of doing something so normal. She even let herself close her eyes, the random techno song being the only thing on her mind.

 _BANG_.

The car completely shifted, and Skye opened her eyes with a start to brace herself, gripping whatever could be grabbed. She peered outside the window.

The SUV had been shot.

The SUV had been shot with a bazooka.

The passenger side door was completely destroyed; only burnt remains dwindling with ash in the corners of the now gaping hole. Through the hole, she saw a person.

"Mike?" she breathed.

Deathlok raised his gun up once again. Without losing a second, Skye was hurtling out of the car headfirst. She dove to the parking lot floor, her hand where Garrett had cut her sending a sharp, painful jolt up her body as it hit the concrete. The driver's side door had been left wide open so the second shot went right over her head and into a group of shopping carts ahead of her. She stared at the burning mess momentarily.

Her ears picked up the sound of his metal legs moving as he advanced. Skye wasted no time getting her own legs underneath herself to start and run.

He started to run, too.

Skye's breathing rapidly increased from her anxiety and physical exertion. She heard Deathlok fire another shot. Though nothing, including herself, went ‘boom.’

Instead her legs twisted together. She looked down to see some sort of gel had intertwined around them, stopping her progress and bringing her directly to the ground.

Skye was getting real sick of being on the ground.

Of course, she wasn't too keen on being hoisted up by a cyborg, either.

He held her with fingers wrapped around her throat, her own hands on his to try and support her weight, when he slammed the back of her head on the windshield of a nearby mini-van.

Skye coughed and sputtered from the force of it, having a hard time breathing anyway from the hand around her neck.

"Mike, please…" she gasped in a raspy voice, her vision starting to fail her as black spots filled some of the space. Deathlok's face was cold, staring right into her eyes. He didn't even bother with an apology. He might have felt remorse, but was too focused to voice it.

Just as she thought she might black out, her hand reached sideways for something, anything, that might help her: and it delivered.

She snapped the windshield wiper off of the car with a strength she didn't think she was currently capable of and shoved it right into his neck. He wailed in pain.

As soon as his hands were removed she hobbled away, still handicapped from the tie around her legs. There was no clear way to get the gel off. It was like a putty of some sort, but she needed something strong enough to break it.

She hopped around to different cars, checking to see if any had their keys left in them but had no such luck. She'd once thought of learning how to hotwire a car, long before SHIELD when she wasn't having the best luck in life, but decided she'd never get  _that_ low. It could come in handy now.

Deathlok was becoming less and less distracted by the hole Skye had left in his neck, beginning to look around the parking lot again to find her. She immediately ducked to the ground and rolled skillfully underneath the nearest car.

Skye focused her breathing to calm down. Quietly, she reached down to tug at the material around her legs, but to no avail.

 _Mike has backscatter vision. Shouldn't he have found me by now?_  Skye thought to herself as she felt the seconds pass.

As if on cue to her thoughts, Skye's legs were grabbed and pulled.

But not by Deathlok.

Wolfe, who had her feet in one hand, a knife in the other, and two WalMart shopping bags around his shoulder, hauled her roughly out from beneath the car. Once he had a better grip on her legs by supporting them underneath his arm he began to saw at the gel.

"Can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" he teased her with a grin while he worked.

She smiled tentatively in return from her compromised state, holding herself up by the elbows. "I don't normally think of myself as a high maintenance gal, but lately…"

The gel broke apart with a loud "snap!"

"C'mon!" Wolfe said, hauling her up by the shoulder. He threw her forward ahead of him, turning around to face Deathlok. Skye looked back to see why he wasn't following.

"Wolfe, hurry!"

He fired his gun only once, and a small shock went through the metal man. He stopped in his tracks, but otherwise appeared as though nothing had happened.

"Whoa, what was that?" asked Skye as Wolfe turned to her.

"A stunner. He won't be still for long. Let's get going!"

They started running when Wolfe slowed down to a stop as he peered inside one of the cars.

"Get in!" he shouted. Skye opened up the passenger door and plunked herself inside.

"Oh, so _you_ find a car with keys left inside," she mumbled as he started the engine.

They pulled out of Wal-Mart's parking lot and drove only about a half a mile before he pulled over into some apartment building's parking lot.

"What are we doing?" asked Skye.

"There's a bus stop," Wolfe told her as he opened his door. "We don't want to get tagged for going around in a stolen vehicle."

They shut the doors and made their way to the covered area for waiting. "Ok… but what if the bus is still a while away? Mike could be after us at any moment."

The bus pulled up not five seconds later.

"Guess fate's on our side today," Wolfe told her with a wink.

"My nearly crushed windpipe begs to differ," Skye told him with a pointed look, "but I'll take it."

They walked up the steps to be greeted with an older chubby man; exactly the type of person you'd think would be running a bus.

"How much?" asked Wolfe.

"You need a pass," said the man. "No exceptions."

Wolfe, very quickly, produced a one hundred dollar bill and set it next to the man.

"You sure about that?" asked Skye cheekily, if not still with panic in her voice from remaining adrenaline.

"Oh uh… you two can have a seat wherever you'd like."

Skye flashed a radiant smile, realizing that she must be in life or death situations way too often to bounce back this quickly. They sat down on two seats that lined the window.

She crossed her legs in before herself only to notice a large rip in the front of her now filthy and tattered medical gown. She immediately put both feet back on the ground.

She'd caught the eye of an older woman in front of them, a man to the side, and a teenage boy hanging on to the grip from above.

"I'm coming from a slutty costume party… lay off," she told them in response to their glares of curiosity. All three looked away as she turned to Wolfe. "This would be nothing if we were on the NYC subway."

"Hah, no kidding. But since we're in little old Ohio, how about you take a look through here?"

He held out the WalMart bag.

"Oh thank  _god_. You managed to hang on to that?" Skye asked as she whipped through the contents to see he'd actually gotten her multiple outfits,  _including_  one flannel.

"I'm a man of many talents, despite what my age may say about me."

"Hey, Agent May is about your age and she can kick some serious butt. So can you, apparently," she told him as she pulled on some black cargo jeans underneath the medical gown's remains. "You did just stop a cyborg from blowing me up."

Skye stilled, frowning at herself. Did she really call Mike a cyborg out loud? She had told herself she was never going to stop believing in him. That he was a good person just doing what he had to for his child. But now that she'd seen him with her own eyes, now that she'd been the victim, it really did seem like he was lost for good. She couldn't believe that she was so un-empathetic that she had to experience it firsthand before she could make that decision.

"Skye?" Wolfe asked with concern, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What? Oh sorry. I just was thinking about Mike. You know, the person who just… attacked us."

Wolfe nodded. "Yeah. We were informed he used to be Mike Peterson before we came to know him as Deathlok. Did you know him?"

"Yeah. He was a really good guy… before Hydra had to blow him up and kidnap his son!" Her voice had remained even enough at the beginning of the sentence, but by the end she was near shouting. She let herself calm down. "And if I'm really a… a weapon, they could do the same thing to me," she quietly admitted, staring down at her feet. "I don't have a kid or anything but if they used someone I care about, I'd do anything."

She knew how weak that sounded. She was an agent, she should know never to let people get her to do whatever they pleased. She'd always imagined learning how to hold up under interrogation or torture, but she knew she wouldn't be able to cope with being responsible for her friend's suffering.

Wolfe took her good hand. "We are not going to let them get anywhere near you, kiddo."

Skye wasn't sure if Wolfe called everyone her age this nickname or if she specifically reminded him of a child, but she took it endearingly.

She sighed. "It would just be really,  _really,_  super-nice if I could see my team right about now."

"And we will, don't worry. We just have to hang tight a little while longer. Obviously Hydra is still on your tail."

Skye scoffed. "Yeah, obviously. Why would they put me on the market just to chase after me again?"

"Could be for profit, though I'm not really sure. We'll figure it out."

Skye watched as Wolfe’s hair became caught in a wild breeze and her eyes drifted to the source of the wind as she peered out the window at the busy avenue. It was full of bustling cars and people hurrying to get their daily duties done, whatever they might have been.

"So, where we headed now?" she asked. "Hopefully somewhere I can change and stop looking like I broke out of the psych ward."

"Ok, I'm aware of how this sounds, and trust me, I'm saying it in the most platonic way possible but… I think it's time we got a room."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that action sequence went ok. 
> 
> Next up: Ward and Coulson chat!


	4. Ward's Contrition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson asks Ward about Skye's whereabouts.

The team had found Fury in the BUS, just like Ward had told them. He'd released the Centipede soldiers from duty. Helped FitzSimmons.

 _Killed_ Garrett.

What more could he do to make them trust him? Know that he wasn't loyal to Hydra?

The answer to these questions was not in his current realm of knowledge. It was also why he was currently sitting in the Cage of the BUS. He wondered briefly if he would spend a good amount of his remaining time in the world in a place like this, if the team indeed decided to condemn him.

The cuffs were irritating his wrists.

About the time this thought crossed his mind the door opened suddenly, but Ward didn't flinch. He barely flicked his eyes up to see who his random, but expected, visitor was.

It made sense that they'd send him in. He looked like he was on the top his game, back where he belonged as the team leader as he flipped through the papers in his folder. He was limping, but such physical limitations were only sometimes considered a weakness in Ward's eyes. Getting hurt could mean you were careless and let someone get the jump on you, but it also might mean you did what needed to be done despite your own well being. Coulson was always one to put others first.

"Alright, I'm going to be straight with you Ward. You don't have a lot of friends here. Actually, if you want to get technical, the exact amount would be around zero."

Ward just stared, having no direct response to that. Coulson continued.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" he asked.

Ward quirked an eyebrow. "Anything specific you'd like to hear?"

"Good start would be an apology. Then I'd try for an explanation of your actions," Coulson said as he paced the room. "You say you're not Hydra, but that would mean you think of yourself truly as a traitor and not just a sleeper agent stationed inside of SHIELD."

Ward shook his head. "No, I don't have allegiance to any organization. I wasn't a traitor because I was working for Garrett from the start. I was a sleeper, but for Garrett, not for Hydra." Why did no one seem to understand this?

Still, Coulson nodded. "Well, since you've killed the man that you claim to have had all your loyalty towards, wouldn't that make you a traitor now?"

Ward swallowed, his betrayal had been laid out so clear and neat in front of him. "He changed. And when he did, I realized there was someone I cared about more than my loyalty to him."

"Skye," clarified Coulson.

"Garrett was hurting her. I really saw him lose it at one point and thought he may kill her. He probably would have, if I hadn't intervened."

"And you went with him anyway."

Ward nodded. "I had to keep up the illusion I was still agreeing with him."

"But you in actuality weren't, all because of Skye."

"Yes."

"See, here's the thing Ward. Your allegiance changes based on who you believe deserves your attention; people you think you owe a great deal to. First it was Garrett, because he saved you from a life you hated, not to mention prison. And as the victim of your affection and attractions, it's now Skye."

Ward flinched inwardly when he used the word "victim."

"The problem here is that we don't know who you're going to owe something to next that compromises your loyalty. You can't be part of a team and not be one hundred percent trusted. So I'm telling you now that based on your track record, you should lower your expectations as far as what your position will be on this team."

Ward already had low expectations. Very low. The only expectation he had, in fact, was that they’d let him help them to find Skye. After that, he really didn't want anything to do with them. It wasn't even so much of an expectation as a hope.

"Then there's the issue of how you were planning on getting Skye out in the first place," said Coulson, a question hinted in his voice.

"I wasn't able to construct a plan at that point," said Ward. "That's why I needed to stay on Garrett's good side while I did."

"But say you were able to get her out, where would you have gone? Would you have taken me as well?"

Ward hesitated, trying to think of the best answer. There really was only one. "I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. I just knew I needed to get her out."

"Well, if what you say is true, she is out. From that facility at least, but we have no idea where she is. Unless you have some inkling?"

Ward let out a somewhat frustrated sigh from between previously pursed lips. "For the thousandth time, I don't! I've told you time and time again: the only thing I care about here is Skye. Why would I lie about knowing where she is?"

Coulson nodded, his own lips now pressed together as he was thinking. He suddenly closed the folder he had in front of him and sat down across from Ward. "Ok. Just let me assure you that no matter what happens, you're on SHIELD radar. We're not going to let you out of our sight. We're not just going to tag you or let you back on the team, we are going to make sure that you are monitored with audio and visual at all times, assuming you don't go to prison."

Ward thought it was a little extreme to lay it all out like that, but he didn't expect much less. He double-crossed a government – well, ex-government- agency. And it was much more personal than just that to these people.

After Coulson let that sink in for a moment, he continued. "Keeping that in mind, that you won't be on your own ever again, is there anything you'd like to share?"

Finally, with that sentence, the information Coulson was spouting to him finally clicked.

"You think that  _I'm_ keeping Skye somewhere?" he shouted with disbelief.

Coulson shrugged. "Your personality profile borderlines on obsessive, so it would actually make sense. She's not with Hydra and you'd been planning on taking down John Garrett the moment you had the chance. Best thing to do would be to get your things in order and out of the way before that went down."

"She's not a _thing_ and I did not take her anywhere. Give me that lie detector test again," he seethed, taking a deep breath. "I just want to help find her."

"You mean the test that you passed… while lying?"

"I didn't actually lie," Ward muttered, trying to hide the feeling of pride tugging at him for tricking the test.

"I'm aware. I saw the footage; you said you were there for Skye and Agent Koenig took that you meant it romantically. That assumption cost the man his life,” Coulson said pointedly, reminding Ward once again of his sins. “In reality, you were there for her to crack the hard-drive for you. Smart. Who's to say you won't do it again?"

"Ask me point blank questions."

"No, I think I've got a better idea. You tell me something, anything useful that could put us on the path to finding her, and I won't leave you in some hole to rot."

That had Ward sitting back in his chair. He wracked his brain; there really wasn't much to tell. Coulson waited patiently. Eventually though, Grant picked himself back up.

"Raina wasn't at the facility either, right?"

Coulson shook his head.

"She's been just as interested in Skye as Garrett and she saw Garrett go off the deep end too. If anything, I'm guessing she has Skye. Though I don't know what resources she'd be using…"

Coulson took this under consideration.

"Do you have anything useful to add? Like where she may be?"

"Actually, yes," he said at the same time he realized he had information to give. "Cherry Hill in Ohio."

"Is that a city?"

"Not a clue. I overheard her talking to someone about it on the phone, but it was after we'd gotten a real glimpse of Garrett's crazy side. It could be where she's headed."

"I'll take it to… well, we'll look into it." Coulson got up and headed towards the door, turning back to look at Ward. "You need to work on your apologies, by the way. And Ward?"

"Yes, sir?" God, how easily he was slipping back into this persona. Maybe it was more of an authentic part of him than he’d realized.

"When we do locate Skye, if I see that you've hurt her in  _any_  way at all, you won't be going to prison. You'll be leaving here in a body bag,” he said sternly. “Given the fact that I feel that generous."

Coulson walked out the door, leaving Ward to ponder that thought, probably expecting him to dwell. In fact, it left him smiling.

Skye was going to be rescued, because she was too loved by these people for any one of them to give up without it being so.


	5. Skye's Meditation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye takes some time to reflect on all that's happened to her and checks out her injured hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, you could skip this chapter is you're just interested in plot. Or skim it. It's a slow one xD

The Comfort Inn room was small, smelled like cigarettes, and was stained in more places than Skye could count, but she found it one of the most welcome sights in the world.

"Ugh! Thank the gods of linens and things," she stated before collapsing face first onto one of the double beds.

Wolfe raised his eyebrows at the girl. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, kiddo. Have you heard how disgusting hotel comforters are? They're not washed, pretty much ever."

"Don't care," came her muffled reply.

"Skye, come on. Get off of there and take the comforter down. That's filthy."

She lifted herself up onto her elbows so that her face was no longer concealed. "Wouldn't think you to be a germophobe, Agent Wolfe."

"I'm not," he laughed. "But those things are  _known_  for their lack of cleanliness."

"Fine, fine, whatever you say, boss man. I want to go get cleaned up anyway." She paused. "Unless you want to warn me about the bathroom germs too…?"

"Go take a shower, Agent Skye," he told her in a nagging tone, leaning down to take off his boots.

Skye was grinning as she grabbed her Walmart bag full of new clothes (at great discount prices!) and headed into the bathroom. The image in the mirror startled her, causing her to gasp. She realized she hadn't gotten a good look at herself in days.

She was, for lack of a better word, gross. Her hair was so tangled and dirty it rivaled the day that she had flown out of the BUS with Lola. Actually, the dirt was everywhere on her clothes and skin as well. Along with more minor cuts, her cheek held a scar from when she had fallen after the explosion whilst wearing handcuffs. A fleeting thought crossed her mind as she momentarily hoped it wouldn't be permanent.

But the ugliest thing she noticed on her face was a giant purple-red bruise on her forehead; from the foolish head-butt she'd tried to belt Garrett with right at the start of this mess.

She scowled at her appearance, only adding to the unattractiveness.

Turning on the shower, Skye started to strip out of her clothes. The new cargo pants she set delicately down to be put on afterwards while the medical gown remains were thrown immediately into the garbage.

"Good riddance," she whispered to the piece of clothing.

Just as she was about to get in, she remembered her injured hand and the now filthy and used gauze that was wrapped around it. She began to take it off, only stopping when it crossed her mind that hot water could be very painful for such a deep injury, and she had nothing else to cover it with. She decided to assess its damage once she’d gotten out.

Skye then made a point to scrub every inch of herself down hardily; it was her first shower in four or five days. Hopefully. She didn't want to think of what they might have done while she was unconscious…

Her mind wandered that way while she was relished in the silky stream coating her skin. What  _had_ happened to her? Three days was a long time to be asleep, and in that time she'd somehow gotten from a secret Costa Rican base to a closed down Ohio fair.

Skye shook her head. She couldn’t change what happened and she wouldn’t be able to find out what had by dwelling on it. She quickly switched off the water and stepped out.

Gathering up her new undergarments and cargo pants, she got herself nearly fully dressed. She rummaged through the bag again to see what he got her by way of shirts. One of them was a Heroes of New York: Thor t-shirt. She wasn't usually one for graphic tees, but she was one for Thor.

After a reassess in the mirror she decided she looked much better, combing through her knotted, wet hair with her fingers in the absence of a brush.

Now came what she'd been avoiding: her hand.

The gauze was now soaked from the shower, but this actually made it a little easier to unravel. She hissed in pain as the wrapping stuck to her palm, tearing into her wound even more.

She pierced her lips together but couldn't help a few grunts slipping passed them as she tore it off.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Skye? Is everything ok?"

"Yes! Everything's fine," she answered quickly in a panic, feeling slightly disconcerted at being caught in her vulnerability. "I'm just… cleaning a wound."

"Are you decent?"

She nearly laughed at how formal a question it was. "Hmm, well, depends on the topic I guess. I'm decent at Poker, but I'm pretty kick-ass in Battleship, if I do say so myself. Which I do."

"Skye, are you dressed?" he said seriously, but she could hear the grin in his voice.

"Completely covered in the finest of Walmart brand clothing."

Wolfe burst through the room and his focus immediately zoned in on Skye's hand. "Oh kiddo, why didn't you tell me how bad this was?"

Skye sighed, her sarcastic attitude now lost with Wolfe's concern.

"I guess I didn't even really know myself," she admitted, looking down at her raw and now burning palm. The initial attack had hurt pretty dang badly, probably ranking somewhere around an eight on her pain scale, but the amount of blood had kept her from seeing just exactly what he'd done. She could now see bottom and top of it had fairly good-sized chunks out of them, with the center only just scraped. She didn't think any of it got down to her muscle, though.

Wolfe motioned to take her hand, only to hesitate. "Can I take look?"

Skye nodded and made a welcoming gesture with her good hand. "Look away. Not like, look away  _from me_ , I mean feel free to look… away. Here," she finished lamely, holding out her hand so it was easily accessible.

Wolfe took her wrist gently, avoiding the wound strategically as he observed. "It looks so fresh."

"There was gel or some crap on the gauze, so Raina must have put some sort of medicine on it. It's like it stopped the bleeding or whatever."

"That's good it's still fresh, because it needs more than just gauze and some anti-biotic ointment."

"It does?"

"Yes. I'll go get some stitching supplies."

"Please tell me you just have the sudden urge to knit a sweater."

Wolfe tilted his head ruefully at her before heading out the door.

Skye looked down at the wound that needed to be sewed together, trying to see the bright side. But with the nagging absence of her team, it was hard to find one. She still tried.

Skye sighed, reasoning to herself in a mumble, "At least they can't do anything else to me now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patricia, (and anyone else who needs a reminder) Wolfe is an older field agent that was hanging out with Coulson's team in the prequel to this story. But they believed he died... Then, he showed up to help Skye when she woke up in Ohio after being captured by Hydra. :)
> 
> Next up: Team chapter, with a focus on FitzSimmons!


	6. Simmons' Indecision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team investigate the location Ward supplied them with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously: A couple days ago when Fitz stumbled out of the rainforest after being held by Hydra he kissed Simmons right on the lips, but the pair decided not to talk about their feelings until things quieted down. Even longer before then, back when Skye and May were trying to rescue the people in the incentive's program from Cybertek, Skye distracted Ward long enough for Ace to get away. Thing is, neither Hydra nor SHIELD know where he got to.  
> Now the team head to investigate the Ohio location Ward told them Raina might be hanging out at.

"This place is a little off-putting," said Jemma.

"More like straight up creepy," replied Trip.

Simmons, Triplett, and Fitz walked around the old carnival wearily, as though expecting something to pop up at any moment. So far, all signs pointed to it have been deserted for quite some time.

When the team found the information Ward had given, Cherry Hill in Ohio, to be a theme park that had closed down six years earlier they were skeptical, thinking he may have just been trying to lead them  _off_  Skye's trail. But with no other leads, they were forced to investigate.

They approached a Ferris wheel, which seemed to be the only ride in the entire place that was still in tact. Other than a funhouse they'd passed on their entrance to the old fairgrounds.

"Such a shame," said Fitz. "All these parts could have been used for something but they've just been left to rot."

"This one doesn't look particularly rotted though, does it?" observed Simmons as she looked at the Ferris wheel. "In fact, I think it could still be used rather safely."

"Guys, fresh prints," Triplett said, calling their attention to a mixed pile of dirt and sand. They all surrounded the little plot. "Four different shoeprints."

"And an obvious footprint, most likely a girl's based on the size," commented Simmons. "Do you think they were visiting the beach?"

"I wouldn't wear those shoes to a beach outing," Fitz told them, as the shoeprints seemed to have held heavy shoes. Boots, perhaps. "Though I've never been a fan of the beach anyway."

"Well Fitz, your skin just really isn't equipped to handle it," said Simmons, just before letting out a small chuckle. "Honestly, one time we decided to take a road trip from the academy and he returned looking the exact same hue as a tomato!"

"Jemma! It wasn't that bad."

"People called you Bob for weeks! I hadn’t any clue what that had meant until I looked it up and found there was actually a popular Christian children's program about vegetables in which one of the main characters was a tomato name Bob-"

"I don't think this was a trip to the beach. Not a friendly one, anyway," said Triplett, effectively ending her rambling. "Looks like there was a scuffle here."

"Oh yes!" Jemma exclaimed, noticing the marks fully now. "We can actually deduce quite a bit from the amount of space between the prints and they way they were dragged across the ground. It looks like someone was trying to hold or drag the girl… oh."

"Could it have been Skye?" asked Trip.

"It  _could_ be anyone, even Raina…" Simmons mused. She clicked her fingers together with an idea. "If we can find one clear print of the person who was barefooted, we can use three-dimensional restoration. We brought the scanners but don't have the Golden Retrievers so we'll have to look manually. Of course, we don't have scans or footprints of every person in the world, but if it was Skye, we'll know."

"You have prints of Skye's feet?" Triplett asked, giving Simmons a small look of scrutiny. "Why?"

"Well… she's very interesting! Her reaction to the GH-325 I mean. I took an, I suppose, generous amount of samples from her. It's possible I went a little overboard…"

"Yeah, like the one time she was asleep," added Fitz.

"I just wanted a bit of hair! And she probably would have said yes anyway, but I didn't want to interrupt her rest." She turned to Triplett guiltily. "She wasn't very happy when she woke up."

"I wouldn’t be either. But it'd probably be a little harder to get a sample from my head," said Trip with a light smile. "Well, now that we know she's an 0-8-4, I'm guessing that had to do with why she reacted so differently."

"Actually, if Skye really is an alien, we could detect that from a scan as well," Fitz mentioned. Speaking of Skye's 0-8-4 status seemed to abruptly darken his mood. "I can't believe she never told us that…"

"Come now, Fitz. You have no idea how finding that out made her feel. It's no wonder she wanted a little privacy."

"Yeah, right," grumbled Fitz, his eyes holding zero amusement. "Would just be nice if everyone could say what they're really thinking once in a while around here…"

"Ok, you two look for a good print," ordered Triplett in a 'back to business' tone. "While you do I'm going to go check out the beach, there seems to be a pretty big object out there."

"Alright!" agreed Simmons.

"Sure," said Fitz.

"And stay alert, we still don't know who or what's here," he said just before walking off towards the water.

 _There has to be at least one good footprint around here,_  thought Simmons as she immediately began scanning the ground for a trace of it.

Keeping her nose down and searching, she eventually came right to Fitz' legs, only to discover he wasn't looking at all.

"Fitz, why aren't you helping me?" she asked as she continued her search.

"Jemma… when are we going to talk about what happened in the jungle?"

Simmons froze in her searching, standing up to look at him.

He looked hurt.

They'd agreed not to talk about the kiss until after Disney World and everyone was safe, but those two things weren't exactly aligned since Skye hadn't been there. They were in a grey area and Jemma was decidedly ignoring the subject.

"Well… obviously not now," she decided.

"When then? We've been dancing around the subject and pretending everything is normal when there's this giant elephant in the room every time we're together!"

"There is no such elephant; we've been fine!"

"Yeah but Jemma, you know how I feel about you now," he stepped up, closing the space between them. "If you felt the same way about me, I don't think this conversation would be so hard for you."

He had his hands on her crossed arms, beginning to rub gently as though trying to warm her up. She shrugged away from him.

"It's just that, well, I'm not sure how I feel."

"I knew it!" Fitz exclaimed, obviously upset as he turned around with exasperation. Simmons bit her lip, unsure of what to say. He looked back at her. "Then why did you kiss me back in the jungle?"

Simmons mouth gaped in shock. "It's not like you really gave me a moment to think! You were back; it was phenomenal!"

"So you're saying the only reason you allowed that to happen was shock?"

"No, I-"

"Because believe me, I'm quite aware of how when I poured my heart out to you with what we both thought would be my last breaths, you managed to put your lips all over my face but right _here_." He pointed roughly to his own.

Simmons was speechless. It wasn't like Fitz to be so confrontational. Oh yes, he would definitely express his feelings when he was upset about something, but not something like this. Such a delicate subject he would surely try not to be so abrasive about.

This was actually one of the reasons she was hesitant to have this conversation. No, she hadn't kissed Fitz very passionately in the ocean, but that had happened so fast. At that point, her mind still couldn't process that he could become anything more than her best friend.

But when he was dying… the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't imagine life without him. Her fantasies of if he were to survive quickly turned to candlelit dinners and houses with white pickets fences, along with just working side by side together all the time.

Then, when she had gotten him back, it was almost like he'd changed. He'd become more upfront about things and yelling at her for simple tasks. They'd bickered so much in the past that it was probably an unnoticeable change to anyone on the team; anyone but her.

Because she knew Fitz. She knew his heart and she knew his kindness. But since he'd been back, some of it was obviously missing.

How could she tell him that her feelings were faltering because he'd nearly died, and came back just a little incorrect?

"You know," he continued, "I thought life or death situations were supposed to make decisions easier."

"Well you certainly have to decide faster," Simmons decided to finally pipe up. "But that can cause for the incorrect decision to be made."

"So which was the wrong decision then? The one at the bottom of the ocean, or the part where you kissed me back in the jungle?"

Jemma stared at him with pleading eyes, the tears starting to make their way through. "I'm sorry, I just don't know."

"Then I'm done with you."

"Fitz! How can you say that?"

"Look, I obviously don't mean a damn thing to you, Jemma!"

"You mean  _everything_  to me!" she shouted, stunning him into silence. "When I thought you were dead my entire world fell apart. We’ve spent every waking moment of our lives together since we've become friends, and you think that doesn't mean anything? Of course it means something!" she shouted desperately, before looking down. "I'm just not entirely sure what."

"Well, until you figure it out, I guess meaning  _everything_  to you is just as good as meaning  _nothing_."

"Fitz, Fitz please, wait!" she shouted after him as he briskly started to walk away.

"I'm done waiting, Jemma!" he told her without turning around, continuing on his way. "Don't follow me, I'll see you back on the BUS."

Simmons stood, utterly defeated and staring after him. She didn't have a prospect in her mind of how to fix this.

Suddenly a hand caressed her shoulder, causing her to jump. And squeal, just a bit.

"Hey," said Coulson delicately, sensing her apprehension. May stood dutifully behind him. "Where are the others?"

Simmons sniffled, trying to hold up her posture. "Triplett's on the beach near that dock just over there. He went to investigate some sort of unknown object. Fitz… I don't know. I suppose he went to go look at something as well."

"Shouldn't you be with him?" asked May, ever insightful.

"No I… oh! I need to find a footprint." She pointed to the ground. "Like this one, but more complete."

"What for?" asked Coulson.

"If we get a good enough mold, we'll be able to use three-dimensional restoration to see if we can get anymore information about who was here."

"Alright, we'll look with you," Coulson told her.

"At least we found something here," said May.

"No such luck with anything else, then?" asked Simmons.

Coulson shook his head. "We only have one more area to check, figured we could go together."

Simmons nodded, thinking that "together" may not include Fitz, if he'd really already gone back to the BUS.

In fact, Jemma realized "together" may not be a term that FitzSimmons would be using for quite a long time.

* * *

 

"Why did you feel the need to save this for last?" asked Simmons.

"It was on the way out," said Coulson. "And it's in pretty good condition compared to the rest of the rides in the place. Maybe it's being kept up for a reason."

"You sure it wasn't because you're scared, sir? Just a little bit?" asked Triplett lightheartedly.

Coulson grinned. "Well, you've got to admit, it's a little freaky."

"All fun houses are," Trip stated.

"True," agreed Coulson, and he really did. The SHIELD agent was not a big fan of the rides at little fairs like these. "So how about we get this over with?"

Coulson took point, leading the group through the entrance at the center of the funhouse.

They wove through a few poles, went over a rope bridge and through a tunnel. It was strange leading a team through a place like this, and Coulson was starting to think it would have been a less awkward experience if he'd done it alone, until he heard a soft "damn it" come from behind him.

The single file line turned as one to see the ever-graceful May kneeling on the ground, her foot straight through the rope bridge as she began to hoist herself up.

Simmons tried to stifle a chuckle but was obviously failing, while Coulson couldn't help but grin.

"This is getting to be a pretty tough mission, huh?" he teased, ignoring the seriousness that was supposed to come hand in hand with going out on an op.

May elected to ignore the comment but did accept Triplett's hand in helping her stand. She would have been perfectly fine getting up by herself in about the same amount of time, but she was quiet and collected, not rude.

Well, sometimes rude.

"Just be thankful something like that didn't happen on that rope bridge in Ecuador, because that would have been a little more messy," continued Coulson.

May's eyes narrowed. "You weren't in Ecuador."

"You know how news travels." Coulson beckoned forward with is hand. "Anyway, let's get going."

They set forth again into the dark carnival ride. It all seemed rather pointless and discouraging (even with the small comedic incident) until they heard something.

"What was that ruckus?" asked Simmons.

"Stay close," ordered Coulson as they progressed forward with a bit more spring in their step.

There was the sound of someone hurrying down metal stairs. Maybe a couple someones.

All four of them had their guns raised now, unsure of what they were going to be met with. Coulson hoped it would be Skye, but somehow doubted they'd be keeping her prisoner at a fun house in Ohio.

When he rounded the corner, the person before them shrieked.

"Ah! Don't shoot, it's just me!" Fitz screeched, his hands slightly up in surrender. "Why do you people have to always have your bloody guns out?"

"Because we're field agents on a mission, Agent Fitz," supplied Triplett. "What are you doing in here?"

"I heard something and thought I'd come check it out."

"Alone?" asked May, after a short pause. It was strange pause, like an absence of words there should have been, because Coulson would have thought Simmons would be scolding and chewing Fitz out right away for leaving the team.

He looked back at her, and saw that the scientist was finding the ground particularly interesting, tracing patterns with her foot. Something was definitely going on there. He made a mental note to check up on it later.

"Yeah, I don't know why. I guess it was stupid," Fitz replied quickly. "But I did find something. Or… someone."

"You found a person?" Simmons exclaimed, apparently unable to contain herself.

"Yeah, but you know… a small one."

The little figure ran over from a dark hallway only to hide behind Fitz' legs. Coulson had to admit: he was expecting to see this person in here even less than he’d expected to see Skye.

The four agents spoke simultaneously.

"Ace?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost forgot I was posting this! Since there doesn't seem to be much interest I'm going to leave this on the back burner (I have a lot of projects). I'll probably post every five days or so unless enough people tell me they'd like it more often :)


	7. Skye's Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Skye stays at a hotel with Agent Wolfe, she takes a walk in the middle of the night and runs into some trouble...

Skye couldn't sleep.

It wasn't that she didn't feel safe, or that the bed had a strange feel to it (which it did), or even because of the throbbing in her newly sewn hand as the numbing agent faded, she just felt anxious.

She hated being "free" and not able to contact her team. Why would they go dark when she was still lost? Did they not want her to find them? Wolfe said he didn't know their reason for undercover; he said it had been abrupt and they'd given him no information about it, most likely trying to protect the information.

It had been hours where she was lying awake. Currently she was on her side, watching the older SHIELD agent who had now seemed to take on the role of her protector sleep in the bed next to hers. Surprisingly to her, he didn't snore and actually had very light breathing for someone who was sleeping. Maybe that was a training thing; she'd like to learn it sometime if she could. Sleeping with one eye open and all that.

But for now she desperately wanted her eyes to just  _close._

Reasoning that she had just been asleep for three days and her body may just not be ready to let her rest again, she lifted the covers off of herself and crept towards the door of their hotel room.

After slipping her new flip-flops carefully onto each foot and making sure to grab a room key, she slid out the door.

It was a quiet night. The hotel was right off a highway exit, but not many cars were driving on it now. But there wasn't really anywhere to walk and that was actually she'd come out to do; maybe clear her head. Once she looked around she noticed a serene-looking light coming off of the pool, the peacefulness of the color almost calling her towards it.

She ended up sitting at the edge with her feet playing in the water, trying to take in how calm the night was and try to relax.

As her mind wandered, she realized she wasn't only yearning to see her team but someone she was once quite sure she wanted to see dead: Ward.

They hadn't really gotten much of a goodbye. That was fine, of course. Skye didn't really want to be associated with a traitor more than she had to.

Still, much of the hate that fueled her near-murderous thoughts had dissipated once Wolfe had told her FitzSimmons were still alive, and therefore affirming that Ward had been telling the truth before Garrett interrupted.

It gave her somewhat of a clearer picture of why Ward did what he'd did, seeing them together. Ward was a grown man and could make decisions on his own, but they'd definitely been shaped out greatly by Garrett…

"Hello."

Skye jumped at the comment, ripping her feet out of the water like she'd been caught doing something against some sort of rules. Which, given that she didn't know if the pool had a close time, might have been true.

"Hey there," she replied to the man who had spoken. Skye was sure she didn't know this man, but his face somehow seemed familiar. He had shaggy black hair and a big build, but definitely looked older. Strangest thing about him was the black cloak or maybe blanket he had over the front of his body.

"You don't really look very prepared to swim," he observed.

Skye glanced down at her t-shirt and sweats. "Forgot my bathing suit. Dad wants to kill me," she added, remembering to keep to their father-daughter vacation cover story. "But I thought it was a nice night and decided to hang out."

"It is a nice night," he agreed, looking around lazily.

Skye awkwardly batted her fists together as the man scanned the area, starting to wonder how long this stranger wanted to keep up this small talk at 2:00 in the morning.

"Did you… come to enjoy the lovely scenery the hotel pool has to offer as well?"

"Not in the slightest. I came to talk with you," he answered casually, and Skye immediately froze up.

It wasn't that guys hadn't tried to pick up conversations with her in the middle of the night in the past, it's just that that was usually at bars, and usually not when there was an evil organization on the look out for her.

"Oh. Well, thank you, but…" she told him regretfully as she stood up, "I was just about to head out and get some shut eye; Sandman must've hit me. Nice talking with you though." She began moving for the exit, but he blocked her path. Not a good sign.

"Oh Skye, don't you remember me?" he implored, and Skye's heart did a backflip or two at the sound of her name. Not a good sign: number two.

She shook her head quickly. "No, I don't," she said firmly, trying to stand her ground. "Should I?"

"Well, I suppose we were never properly introduced. But you risked your life trying to come and rescue me! It's a shame your mission was in vain as it was an unwelcome rescue, but it was a nice gesture. I do hope your dress wasn't ruined from the jump you made."

Skye's eyes widened with shock and realization. This couldn't be him. He looked so different. He had a full head of hair and had even gotten taller! But she knew it was, because in the very features of his face she could see the man that FitzSimmons so dearly knew they needed to get out.

" _Dr. Hall?"_  she asked incredulously. "But you like… um, died."

"Thank you for the information," he laughed. "But no, I didn't die. I became something else, something greater."

Considering last time she saw the guy he'd been dropped into the incredibly powerful element Gravitonium, Skye sincerely hoped she wouldn't be finding out what "something greater" meant anytime soon.

"So you're here to thank me?" she asked hopefully, while desperately trying to determine how quickly she could jump the fence behind her. "It's ok to admit it, I'll take credit where credit is due."

"I suppose I could, but that wouldn't be much fun, would it?" he told her, taking a step forward, making her decide to take a few back. "And I know it's not your fault… you're just another child thrown into the SHIELD system. It's Coulson who didn't understand what we needed to do for the greater good!"

"Hey, Coulson's the greatest and the good…est man you could ever meet!" Skye defended. "Whatever he did, he did for it in everyone's best interest."

"Oh? You think he threw me into a vat of Gravitonium with my best interests in his mind?"

"Well like, the best interests of people in a whole… the greater good thing! You knew what I meant."

"It doesn't matter you meant. If your suffering will cause Agent Coulson harm, then that's good enough for me."

She watched as he dropped the strange cloak he'd had draped over his body to reveal he was actually in some sort of suit, somewhat like Deathlok's. But it was blue, and dang it showed off his new muscles. The metamorphosis was making it really hard to believe it was the same man.

"Wait-" was all Skye got out in protest before Hall waved his hand, making the world beneath her very feet feel like it had shifted in that one moment, causing her to go flying backwards.

No more than a second had passed when the feeling was back to normal, and Skye's body immediately shifted with the new center of gravity. She fell sloppily into the pool.

Skye pried open her eyes under the water, having to take a moment to orient herself and realize where the surface was before she was able to finally paddle her way to the top.

She burst the surface with a gasp. She hadn't been submerged in the water very long but it had been an unexpected trip, and her lungs hadn't had an adequate amount of air for the excursion.

When she looked up she saw Hall bent down on one knee, almost casually observing her as she began to tread water mostly with her legs, her injured hand dangling uselessly.

"Dr. Hall, Coulson doesn't even know where I am, let alone if I'm alive," Skye exclaimed as she began to back kick towards the edge, without taking her eyes off him. "If you do this now it won't mean anything."

"I no longer go by that name, Skye. I'm Graviton, now," he told her simply, just before the felt her body increase in mass, followed by a falling sensation. She'd made sure to take a deep breath.

She was at the bottom of the pool, that much she was sure of. The confusing thing was it didn't feel like a pool anymore; it felt just like normal earth.

Other than the lack of oxygen.

Skye realized she could no longer swim, but with the increased gravity she could definitely run. She began a short sprint to the shallow end of the pool. Her foot was just about to cross the area that had a "5" painted on the wall when her entire body collapsed onto the hard concrete. He must have increased the force in that area.

She dragged herself out of the area with great difficulty, realizing she had no choice but to go back to the deep end. She looked around, desperate for anything to cling onto. She could have squealed in delight to see a rather large looking filter carved out of the side.

Her lungs burning for salvation now, she prepared to jump as high as she could in the nine foot deep "water", her hands just reaching the filter.

She clung on for dear life, as her life seemed to really hang in the balance at this moment. Her feet had little traction against the side of the pool as she tried to crawl up and she realized that she was going to have to rely completely on her arm strength to pull her body out.

 _"You find yourself hanging off the edge of a building twenty stories up, you're going to want to do at least one,"_  Ward's voice rang through her head about her aversion to strength training. She was moments away from death and…  _he_  was still the thing running through her mind. At least it was a somewhat helpful thought, albeit one that made her imagine him saying "I told you so."

Skye might not have been twenty stories up at the moment, (actually she was probably beneath sea level) but, using all force she could so that her muscles were screaming, she still did her one pull-up.

The problem was she couldn't actually maneuver herself all the way over the edge of the pool. She rested her chest inside the filter box. Looking up, she came to realize it had a hole leading up to the surface with no water in it, lower than the water level of the rest of the pool. The hole wasn't enough to fit her whole body into, but as her brain screamed for oxygen, the only thing that mattered was her mouth.

Skye spun her body around in the tiny hole so that her head faced upward and she gulped in the plentiful air that touched her lips. With her body half inside the filter, legs dangling in the too-much gravity pool, and her face shoved into an even smaller hole gulping air, she must have been quite a sight.

 _Now what?_  she thought to herself.

Despite how quickly this had turned into a life or death situation, Skye still managed to catch on to what was happening. Dr. Hall, or Graviton as he now preferred, was obviously using the Gravitonium, or it was absorbed into him or whatever. She didn't stand a chance of running if he could make her fall down or maybe even float at will. Her situation actually looked hopelessly bleak. Even if she could scream, alert someone to her dilemma, what could they do?

But for a few moments Skye didn't need to make this decision, as all her brain cared about was getting as much air as she possibly could. She decided to try and lift her head into the small hole a little higher so her ears were outside of the water as well. She almost disturbed at how peaceful the night still sounded.

"That should be sufficient…" she heard Hall mutter, nearly inaudible from his stance on the other side of the pool.

Suddenly, the weightlessness that was how water should feel engulfed her once again, and her back legs began to lift towards the top of the pool. Her ears still out of the water, she listened to his footsteps as he rounded the pool to where she was.

That wasn't long enough to drown someone. That was long enough to knock someone out, put their lungs through a bit of hell, but definitely not long enough to kill a person.

She slowly pushed herself out from the filter, hoping her hunch was right, and let herself float lifelessly to the top of the pool.

Skye felt two hands grab into the back of her shirt and soon enough she was fished out of the water and set near its edge. With a nudge from what felt to be the tip of a boot, she was flipped over so that she was lying on her back. Skye's eyes were shut gently as she did her best to remain still while his fingers felt just beneath her nose.

After he was reassured she was breathing, she was hoisted haphazardly over the man's shoulder. Skye didn't dare open her eyes, but he didn't walk too far before she heard the soft beep of a car door unlocking.

She was placed delicately across the backseat of a car, or van, or something. She still didn't open her eyes. From the feel underneath her soaked body, she was sitting on leather.

The door shut, and Skye was trying to determine when would be the best time to jump out. Maybe she could do it inconspicuously while he was at a red light, or maybe it would be best to do it while the car was in motion, not too fast of course…

Keeping her eyes as squinted as possible, she dared to look over at the driver's seat.

Which was empty.

Her eyes rolled up to look out the windows she could see from this vantage, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Good enough for me," she mumbled, quickly getting up and wasting no time in running out of the car.

She ran away. Away from the hotel, and away from Wolfe, she realized. The amount he'd walked to get her to the car had taken her farther from her room on the third floor, and her brain decided he'd have a good chance of getting her if she tried to return. Hopefully Wolfe would be all right in the locked room. But she had no idea where Graviton had gotten to or how long he would be gone; she just knew she had to get out of there.

She began running down the street passed closed restaurants and shops, her thumb raised. She'd been a hitchhiker before and had never had too much of a problem with it. That is, as long as you don't mind some interesting characters.

It wasn't too long before she got someone to pull over. She looked down to realize that her usual weapons to getting into guys' cars were mostly covered up by her t-shirt, though maybe with the wetness that could be to her advantage. It was with some surprise she realized she might not need them when she saw it was a mini-van that was driving over to her.

Her expectations were flipped completely around when she saw the young woman in a nursing uniform staring back at her.

"Rough night?" asked the blonde through an open window.

"You have no idea," Skye confessed, sincerity seeping into her voice.

The woman smiled. "Hop in."


	8. May's Tact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team asks Ward for more details while Skye waits for Wolfe to come find her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously: Ace was found at a carnival Ward gave the team the location to. Skye was attacked by Graviton. While running away, a lady offered her a ride.

Coulson was pacing. Coulson was pacing  _a lot_.

Too much, and May couldn't take it anymore.

"You do realize they walking around in circles is only going to increase your anxiety?"

"What do you expect?" he exclaimed. "Why the hell was Mike Peterson's kid being kept at some abandoned fair in Ohio? Where is Skye? Nothing is adding up!"

"Obviously someone wants to keep Deathlok under their control," May stated.

Fitz, who'd been sitting quietly in the corner of the room, decided to chime in. "Yeah, someone who isn't Hydra."

"What makes you think it isn't Hydra?" asked Coulson.

Fitz looked almost stunned that anyone had noticed him, and scrambled to get to an answer. "Well, Ward and Garrett came looking for us because they thought we had Ace, who told us he'd been there for five nights. If that's where he's been the entire time, it couldn't have been Hydra," Fitz explained.

Coulson sighed. "While all of that is true, it doesn't put aside the fact that Hydra is full of  _liars_  and  _manipulators_. They could have had any reason to come after us or to make us think that Deathlok was out of commission when really he wasn't."

"We could ask Ward," suggested May, and Coulson gave her a look of sheer disbelief.

"He's the one that sent us there; this could all be a part of his plan!" Coulson told her.

"You're the one that wanted to see if he had any information in the first place," May said as she stood to meet him. "Now it's gotten us somewhere and you suddenly don't think he's an asset?"

Phil stared at her for brief moments. "I just don't' know what else he could give us," he said stiffly.

"He's proven himself enough that he could be given the benefit of the doubt. We should tell him we've found Ace and see if he can tell us anything else based on the information."

Though she didn't take her eyes off of Coulson, who seemed to be taking his time deciding on a response, May could feel Fitz watching them. All flustered and anxious as he usually was in these situations.

"You know," Coulson started, his tone suddenly much lighter. "I'm a little surprised you of all people are defending him."

May cocked her head. "I'm looking at the facts. And the facts are telling me it's in our best interest to give him a shot."

Phil flashed her a small smile. "Tactful as ever."

"Alright!" Simmons announced as she walked into the room with Triplett by her side. "That's all done."

Coulson and May turned towards the new arrivals and Fitz' arms crossed as soon as they came in the room. He walked over to the group, but his eyes were on the ground.

"How is he?" asked Coulson.

"Well, he's a young child that's been locked up for quite some time, the passed five days being somewhere that didn't even have proper insulation. Medically he's fine; not even a cold from the chilly nights. But he's very scared."

"Wants his old man. Bad," added Triplett, to which Simmons nodded sadly.

"That's something we have in common," said Coulson. "With Garrett gone there's no one to activate the eye bomb and Ace is safe. If someone is still giving him orders, they're doing it with false leverage."

"If only we had a way to contact him…" mused Fitz.

"But for now he's eaten a good meal and is currently sleeping," Simmons concluded, interrupting Fitz with her own thoughts. Her words sent a general nodding through the group, followed by a distinct lack of talking.

"So… what now?" asked Fitz.

May let her eyes drift to Coulson, where she fixed him with a pointed stare. A defeated sigh fell from his lips and she knew he'd read her face perfectly.

"Triplett, go get Ward."

"Seriously?" Triplett deadpanned.

"Ward?" asked Simmons, and fear rang through her voice. May couldn't blame her after the man’s attempt to cross FitzSimmons off.

"Yes. Now would be a good time," Coulson continued. A little snappily, causing Triplet to nod and take off.

Simmons didn't even bother to ask why. Her logical mind had probably already put the answer together. Ward had led them to that carnival, so he was the one that could possibly provide them with more information.

What she didn't understand about Simmons at the moment was why she was standing so far from Fitz. The two were obviously trying to avoid each other's gaze, and the lack of chatting was making the room feel uncharacteristically quiet.

May lifted an eyebrow at Coulson.

"I've noticed too," he whispered.

* * *

 

"I'm Cindy," the woman told her warmly as Skye got into the vehicle. She was blonde with bangs and a yoga body, probably around thirty-five. Perfect soccer mom if Skye ever saw one. There were some kid's belongings in the car as if to prove it. Honestly, she was a pretty comforting sight. "What's your name?"

"I'm… Skye," she told her, thinking for a moment if she should use a false name. She thought this woman looked harmless enough, but she second-guessed her decision the moment the words left her mouth. Anyone could  _look_  harmless.

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled.

"You too." Skye looked down at her hands, currently laid on top of her drenched pants. "I'm sorry I'm all wet."

"That's ok sweetheart; it's just water." She paused. "It is water, right?"

Skye nodded, her head quaking a little more than it should have been. Cindy seemed to take notice of her shivering, immediately turning down the air conditioning.

"Where do you need to go? I know there's a woman's shelter close by. I'm not sure where it is but my phone has a GPS…"

Skye caught on to what she was insinuating. "Oh, god no I wasn't- he didn't… do  _that._  I'll go wherever your headed, I just need to get away from there."

"Ok, I understand," Cindy said as she started her car. "But there was a 'he'?" the woman asked. "You don't have to be embarrassed. If anything at all happened, you should really go to that facility."

Skye smiled anxiously. "It honestly wasn't anything like that. He just tried to drown me."

She didn't realize how the sentence sounded until it had already left her mouth and saw the abruptly horrified expression of the woman next to her.

"Oh my… do you want to go to the hospital? Or the police station?"

"No, I actually really, really would rather not do that. Do you think I could borrow your phone?"

"Of course!"

Cindy looked like nothing would please her more than to give Skye her phone, as she fumbled quickly through her purse to bring out the little iPhone with a pink case.

Skye’d memorized the number Agent Wolfe had given her right off the bat. She was pretty good at memorization, something that helped her when she'd learned coding. Lots of things that seemed random that were necessary to recall, like learning a language.

"Hello?" she heard the agent's voice on the other end after only about half a second of ringing.

"Wol… dad, it's Skye."

"Oh thank god," his concerned voice rang through, making Skye smile just a little. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Well, I've certainly got a lot to catch you up on Sleeping Beauty, but yeah, I'm fine."

"Can you tell me at all what's going on from your current location?"

Skye thought for a moment, deciding just how much to disclose with a civilian sitting next to her.

"I ran into… a guy. A bad guy. I don't know if you know him but he goes by Hall."

"I've heard about him," said Wolfe. "Dead scientist, I thought."

"Yeah, not so dead. More like,  _improved_ ," Skye said pointedly, hoping the woman beside her wouldn't be too curious. Though she really couldn't blame her if she was.

"Basically he showed up and was trying to kill me, or kidnap me or something," Skye told him, trying to keep her voice even. She didn't miss Cindy's wince at the word "kill", even though she kept her eyes on the road.

"Not that that's exactly  _good_ , but it's fine so long you're removed from the situation," said Wolfe. "And you are, right?"

"Yep."

"What's your current status?"

"A super sweet lady picked me up," Skye made sure to smile at Cindy, "…and she's letting me use her phone."

"Ok good. Where's she headed?"

Skye brought the phone down and looked at the driver. "Um, where are you going?"

"I live in Lindhurst, but it's really not a problem to go out of the way a bit," said Cindy.

Skye smiled, returning the phone to her ear. "Lindhurst."

"Ok give me a second…" she heard Wolfe say, assuming he was looking something up. "There's a 24-hour Kmart in Lindhurst. And that's a good chunk away from the Comfort Inn so that'll be good."

"Wal-Mart and Kmart? As much as I love grocery stores, if this were a real vacation, I'd be a little disappointed," Skye said, momentarily forgetting about Cindy and hoping she didn't wonder why they were on a fake vacation.

Skye heard Wolfe's soft chuckle before he continued. "I'll come pick you up in say… two hours?"

Skye frowned. "It's  _that_ far away?"

"No, but if this guy knew you were here he may know about me. I'm going to take the long way."

"Ok. Um, be careful."

"You too, kiddo. See you in a couple hours."

Skye hung up the phone, handing it back to the woman.

"Do you think you could drop me off at the Kmart in Lindhurst?" Skye asked.

"Of course! But um…" Cindy looked for just a moment, almost embarrassed, "Are you sure you don't need to go to a police station?"

"Dad's a cop," Skye said, right away. That hadn’t been part of her established cover story or anything; it just rolled right out of her mouth. Seemed to subdue the woman though. "We'll be fine."

Cindy also asked if she could stay with Skye and wait for her father, which Skye really wouldn't have minded at all, but the longer this woman was with her the more danger she was being put in. So she declined.

"What's your address?" Skye asked as she got out of the van at the super-store. "I'd like to send you some money or something for helping me out."

"Oh god no, none of that. You just keep yourself safe."

"Well, thank you. Like, a lot."

"Of course! It was nice to meet you Skye, though I'm sorry about the circumstances," Cindy told her just before she drove away, leaving Skye alone in front of the open 24 hours store.

"Me too Cindy," Skye mumbled to herself. "Me freaking too."

* * *

 

Triplett had fetched Ward from his cell with not so much as a word, and Ward decided he didn't feel like talking much either. When he brought him to the sitting room on the BUS, still in handcuffs, he was met with the stares of Coulson, May, and FitzSimmons, but unfortunately, no Skye.

Triplett pushed him down onto a couch where he then felt like the entire team was towering over him. Probably a power play, he'd used the technique before.

"So… is Cherry Hill a real place or are you all here to tell me my execution date?" Ward asked, reading a good amount of tension from their faces.

"It  _was_  a real place," said Coulson. "It used to be a theme park in Ohio."

Ward nodded. "Ok. Can't say I was expecting that."

"Probably won't be expecting this either, then. Ace was there."

"What?" Ward exclaimed. "Raina was the one that had him?"

"We don't know as there was no other living being there," said Coulson.

"And the kid never saw anyone," mentioned Trip. "Told us he got food through a small hole, and that was it."

"God, that poor child…" mumbled Simmons, and Ward had to agree with her. Sounded like the kid was having a rough go of it.

"Based on evidence we found through 3D restoration Skye was there as well, but was gone by the time we were," explained Coulson. "Meaning the two are linked. So the next logical step would be to find Deathlok. Think you can help with that?"

Ward honestly wasn’t sure, but he'd give it a shot. "Well, Garrett was keeping him knocked out until we found Ace to have a way to control him again. He was in the facility lab with Skye and… you." He shrugged. "If you guys didn't find him, I don't know where he is."

Simmons threw her arms up into the air in exasperation. "Great, he could be still be asleep for all we know!"

"Or worse: someone could be using him to kill a bunch of people," said Fitz.

Ward squinted. "Wouldn't you guys know that?"

"If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly the same SHIELD we were before Hydra came to town," said Triplett. "We're not really getting cases anymore."

"No, but… you have Internet. If there were a powerful cyborg out there killing people, don't you think it would make it onto a few news websites?"

Coulson's face blanched with what Ward guessed was embarrassment.

"Simmons-"

"Already on it, sir!" Simmons replied as she went to retrieve a laptop. After a few clicks and an amount of time that would have made Skye proud later, she reported, "sighting at a Wal-Mart in Mentor, Ohio, sir. Oh god, we're so close!"

"Any pictures?" asked May.

"Yes!"

"Bring it up on the screen," Coulson ordered.

Simmons did as she was told and everyone crowded around the projector, though Ward stayed seated on the couch.

"It says he was attacking an unidentified woman in the parking lot, but she escaped onto a local bus with a man accompanying her," Simmons explained as she continued to fiddle with the computer.

There was a slideshow of phone quality pictures to click through with most from a far off distance. But it was clear Deathlok was attacking someone, the woman apparently. He had her pinned against a car. When Ward squinted, he could make out that the girl was a brunette, but it wasn't until he saw the outfit she was wearing that his suspicions were confirmed.

"It's Skye," he said. "That's the gown Raina had her in last time I saw her."

"So Raina is having Deathlok attack her… at a Wal-Mart?" asked Fitz. "But she already had Skye!"

"Maybe she got away," Coulson mused. "The article said there was a man with her, any pictures of him?"

"Uh…" Simmons floundered for a moment, searching. "There is! This one's much clearer than the rest, apparently becau…" her thought rolled to a stop as she stared at the screen.

Ward saw Coulson scowl in confusion and shock before looking up at the screen.

"What the hell…" mumbled Fitz.

Even May was showing the befuddlement on her face and Ward could see why. It was because the person on the screen was none other than Agent Wolfe, and like the rest of the team, he'd seen the agent fall into water and never surface.

"He's dead!" shouted Triplett. "What is he doing with Skye?"

"I have no idea," Coulson said as if he were in a daze, obviously dumbfounded. He regained focus. "Simmons, when did this happen?"

"It says… yesterday morning, around 8:00."

Ward's old team leader shook his head with disappointment. "They're long gone. Damn it!" he shouted with a sudden anger that surprised Grant. "We should have been on top of this."

"But why wouldn't he tell us he was alive?" asked Simmons.

Coulson ran a hand over the top of his head. "I don't know! Wolfe could have maybe stayed under the radar to protect Skye, but it seems more likely that he’s working for Hydra, or-"

"Or whoever Raina answers to," Ward filled in, and everyone turned to look at him. The group moving as a collective was honestly starting to get annoying. "I have a feeling she's not in on this alone."

"But what do we do?" Simmons asked, her question directed at Coulson with pleading eyes. Ward could tell Coulson didn't have an answer to give. If anything, they could go search the Wal-Mart and surrounding areas but Coulson was right, any evidence would most likely be long gone.

Unless…

"Skye's phone," Ward breathed. "I confiscated it. It's here in one of the cargo hold's cabinets."

"We can contact Deathlok," Coulson said in realization.

"I'll get it," May stated, already trudging her way out towards the stairs.

Grant could tell everyone was excited by the new information in a situation that was beginning to seem hopeless. If they could get in touch with Deathlok, they could finally get some answers. Maybe he'd know where Skye was. And if so, maybe Ward could convince them to let him help get her.

Because if Ward couldn't convince them he was sincere, he honestly had no idea what the future held for him.

* * *

 

Skye walked into the store lazily, somewhat at a loss of what to do. It was a strange feeling to have so much going on and yet still have down time, in a grocery store no less. It was like the anxiety was creeping on her nerves and she felt the need to be proactive, but could only sit and wait on her someone to help her.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

She was in a store with an electronics section. A  _computer_  section, that usually included some you could play with.

With newfound purpose bursting with excitement, Skye began to briskly walk towards the large electronics sign at the back of the store.

Sure enough there were a few Windows computers on display. Including one touch screen, which she opted for.

Once she'd gotten a browser open she was almost at a loss of what to do. She'd been cut off from the real world for about a week, so Skye decided the first thing she'd do was see if SHIELD had made any headlines.

They hadn't, but Hydra had. Something in Disney World, though she decided to put that on the back burner for a moment.

Now, Skye didn't have any thoughts that Comfort Inns were so efficient as to upload their video feeds directly from the moment they happen to a more permanent source, but if they were being directly loaded on to a computer (as most were these days) they could be automatically loaded onto a shared server. If this was the case, she should be able to find and rip the data from wherever it was being loaded as long as it was connected to a network.

She began traveling the back roads of the internet, just getting the page source info up when someone's voice made her jump.

"Hello! Is there something I can help- oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the young boy said enthusiastically. He looked way too chipper for this time of night, but Skye supposed that was part of his job as the red vest and nametag indicated.

Skye brought her hand down from where it had been clutching her heart. "No, my bad. I'm like super on edge at the moment."

"Oh, uh… I'm sorry to hear that. So, I see you're interested in one of our new touch screens," he said, ever the sales person attitude going on as he glanced at the screen. "What ya doing there?"

Skye's eyes widened. "Nothing," she told him as her hand reached behind her to get minimize the code.

"Oh, I know what that is!" the kid, or Mark, as his nametag read, exclaimed.

"You do?" Skye asked curiously, wondering if he was a programmer in training.

"Sure. That's Hackertyper, isn't it?"

"Uh… yes," Skye decided.

"Don't be embarrassed I recognized it, I go on there sometimes too. It can be fun to pretend you're a secret agent," he told her, looking at the screen. "Well, I don't want to interrupt. If you have any questions, let me know!"

"Thanks." She smiled, watching him walk away before getting back to her work.

Score! Comfort Inn security footage was on a shared server. After a little bit of digging, Skye was able to open the files from just a few hours ago.

There were only angles on the outside of the rooms and the pool, so Skye wasn't sure how long Graviton had been there before attacking her. The attack, by the way, looked pretty insane on the footage. No audio, just Skye's body suddenly flying through the air. It almost reaffirmed that the bizarre experience had even happened to her.

Though she couldn't see him before he walked into the shot near the pool, she was able to see where he went after placing her in the car.

Straight to the room she'd been staying in.

Skye watched in what would have been horror had she not known that Wolfe didn't have any knowledge of Graviton when they spoke on the phone. Therefore he must have not encountered the super human being.

But he had.

Hall didn't even have to knock on the door before Wolfe answered it. They stood in the doorway chatting until Wolfe followed him out of shot. Maybe to the car. Skye didn't know, as there was no angle in the parking lot.

Skye nearly started to hyperventilate. Was Wolfe… lying to her? And if so, about what? How much was true?

Was he even ever in SHIELD?

Skye's first thoughts went to Hydra and she immediately clicked to the screen she'd left open that explained an incident in Disney World.

What was there led to even more confusion.

She saw everything, Garrett, the Gravitonium, Ward,  _Coulson and the team!_  If that was them undercover they were pretty bad at it. There were even reports on how Hall escaped from the Gravitonium, though the news websites had no idea what or who it really was. Garrett was  _dead_. Skye couldn't even begin to process the amount of relief that was actually going through her until later.

But most importantly, Wolfe was there. What reason could there have been for him not to tell her about this?

Skye scanned the information as quickly as she could, before deciding she'd seen enough, for now. A lot of digging was going to need to be done later, but Wolfe knew her location, so-

"Hey kiddo, thought I'd find you back here," she heard the older man's voice.

Skye pressed control D automatically, minimizing the windows. She then turned around and, plastering a smile on her face, shrugged.

"You've finally seen me in my natural habitat."

"Glad to see you feeling comfortable," Wolfe said, putting a hand on her shoulder. It wasn't as hard as she thought it might be not to shake him off. She was getting good at this undercover stuff. "Unfortunately, we better go."

"Always on the move, huh?"

"For now. Don't worry, we'll settle down soon."

Skye smiled, nodding, her faux expression fading the moment he turned to lead them out of the store.

_And here we go again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm let's find out what this Wolfe dude is up to, right?
> 
> I understand that Coulson and the team would not be idiotic enough to forget about the internet but... they have a lot on their minds, ok? Just go with it.


	9. Skye's Spite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Wolfe have at each other.

"Great, another crappy hotel. Oh check that,  _motel_ ," Skye complained.

Maybe she had been complaining too much; the last thing she wanted was to raise suspicion from such a stupid move.  _Mental note: stop being a little bitch, Skye,_ she thought to herself.

"It's an hourly rated one. We shouldn't be here too long, but considering we've been out all night I thought we could get some rest."

Skye wanted so bad to scoff. How could she sleep? She had no idea what this man was up to or what he wanted her for. In her heart she desperately hoped this was all some sort of misunderstanding. The evidence wasn't as clear as it had been with Ward. Oh, there was definitely evidence he was hiding _something_ , but what was SHIELD without its secrets?

Of course she couldn't just flat out ask him. Her current plan was fairly simple: get away, then get  _far_ away, then call him. Quickly. Best-case scenario he could explain himself and everything would be back on track, though she somehow doubted this.

If not, she'd be on the run from god knew how many people who were after her. The tally seemed to get higher every day. On the run and in search of her team, who could be  _anywhere_. With some semblance of luck, she might find them within a few weeks. Maybe channels that Wolfe had told her were closed from them going dark were actually open. If only she'd known while she'd been at the computer…

They'd driven for hours after he’d picked her up, the day turning quickly to late afternoon. In that time she hadn't gotten a single chance to get away from him, but she was able to get onto his phone for a moment. It wasn't a smart phone, but she decided to turn it onto airplane mode. At least she could cut off any communication, if he had any.

"A pink, hourly rated motel," Skye stated, taking a look around with disdain. "Remind me not to sit down."

"I did that last time and it didn't do any good," Wolfe chuckled. "You're pretty stubborn, kiddo."

Skye bit her lip. She wanted so bad to believe this man was genuine.

She was hugging herself nervously, observing the room, when she suddenly turned around. "Hey, do you still have the scissors from when we stitched up my hand?"

"Think so. Any particular reason?" he asked.

"I want bangs," she stated.

Wolfe frowned, puzzled. "You want to cut your hair?"

"Yep," Skye nodded.

"And what brought this on?" he asked, and Skye shrugged.

"It's just something I can control, I guess," she mumbled, and that much was actually true. "Also, I'd recommend not questioning it when a girl wants to change her style. Just go along with it and remember to tell her how pretty she looks when she's done."

Wolfe laughed again, the wrinkles in his face showing her he was one to have done that his entire life, proving that his cheery disposition at least wasn't a rouse. Well, depending on how far back he'd been undercover. If he was.

He began digging through his bag, a bag that Skye knew to hold many weapons that he hadn't once offered her. Of course, he hadn't denied them either. As they were traveling together and the bag was reachable to both of them she hadn't questioned it. But now it seemed so obvious.

He brought out the sewing scissors and placed them in Skye's outreached hand. She started towards the bathroom.

"Need some help?" Wolfe called after her. "I know I've got pretty big man hands but I could probably figure it out. With your hand hurt and all…"

Skye smiled, her arm wrapped around the bathroom door. "Got two," she stated simply, waving her good hand as though proving it, just before closing herself in.

She placed her hands on either side of the sink, the unwrapped one clinging onto the scissors. At least she had some semblance of a weapon, meager as it may be. Now just to wait until the opportune moment.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she realized she actually should cut her hair to keep up her story. That was fine; she was ready for a change anyways. Even if she wasn't, it would be quite a trivial thing to be fretting about in relativity to the rest of the happenings in her life.

Skye cut the front of her hair straight across, snipping a bit unevenly after that. She'd done this many times before. It wasn't the first time in her life she wanted emo bangs.

"Not bad…" she mumbled to herself, before sighing. She sat down on the toilet seat, avoiding going back into the room. She took a few moments to let herself gain some composure. Not that this was nearly as much of a surprise as Ward - she'd known him much better and now she already had felt what it was like to be betrayed - she still had had a moment to herself before she had to go out and play him.

With any luck, she wouldn't have to keep it up with Wolfe nearly as long.

Apparently she did have luck, because when Skye walked out of the bathroom Wolfe was already asleep. He was lying on the couch in fact, as this motel only had one bed in each room. Perfect gentleman,  _seemingly_.

Skye crept by him, the second time she'd done this very thing to this man in the past day, though this time if she woke him it wasn't just his sleep schedule at stake.

Once she got a few feet passed the couch, which was more near the bathroom and the bed nearer the door, she bolted, careening open the door with the intention to run.

She couldn't run.

Right there, in front of her when she opened the old, crusty motel door was Graviton.

Her eyes grew wide and she barely had a chance for her gasp of shock to leave her lips before she fell sideways, landing face down on the wall.

To her, it felt like the wall was now the floor and the same type of pressure she'd encountered in the shallow end of the pool was pushing upon her back. Not just her back, actually. More like everywhere. She couldn't even open her mouth as her jaw clamped shut with the force of it.

Wolfe sprang off of the couch, not a sliver of surprise present in his face. Skye realized he hadn't even really been sleeping.

"Thanks, Franklin. I thought she may have suspected something," Wolfe told him. "I mean I let the kid onto a computer. Stupid of me."

"I no longer go by that name. It's Graviton now," he growled, and Skye felt the pressure on her body build. She squeezed her eyes shut with a shudder.

"Hey, are you hurting her?" she heard Wolfe ask. He almost sounded concerned. "Alright, that's enough, put her down."

"You're the one who asked for my help," Graviton said, and Skye managed to open her eyes enough to see him walk into the room. The door flew shut behind him, with seemingly no one there. "All I wanted was to get a peak at her in return."

"You can take all the samples you want from her, just stop hurting her. Don't you hear her?"

_Hear her?_

That's when Skye realized she'd been whimpering, or whining. Some kind of pathetic noise was coming from her throat. The feeble gesture matched the stupid tears she could feel forming in her eyes.

"Fine," said Hall, and she could feel the pressure begin to decrease.

"Wait." Wolfe walked over to her. She struggled to fix him a glare when his eyes caught hers, though she wasn't sure how fierce it looked when she was on the wall breathing quick as a rabbit.

He lifted up the back of her long, blue flannel shirt, grabbing the scissors she had tucked in the back of her leggings. She was slightly perturbed he knew exactly where she'd hidden them, but supposed without pockets there weren't too many good guesses.

"Wouldn't want to fall on these. Could be messy," he said, waving the scissors. "Alright, let's get her down."

Graviton merely waved a hand and Skye crashed to the floor in a heap, immediately heaving and coughing as she couldn't seem to catch her breath. She was so focused on her hacking, she barely noticed Wolfe guiding her to the bed. Once she did, she viciously began to try and wriggle out of his grasp, punching and clawing at him. It didn't matter. He was trained, stronger, and wasn't currently recovering from having the wind knocked out of him. Though she at least had a brief glimpse of satisfaction when a punch hit its mark on the bridge of his nose.

"I hate you," she rasped as he handcuffed her good hand to the bedpost. His eyes met with hers and she thought he looked truly hurt by the comment.

Wolfe sighed but had a slight smile playing on his face, as though he had a secret he was keeping to himself.

"I guess all kids say that to their parents."

"Newsflash! We're not undercover anymore," Skye spat, annoyed by the comment. "And ' _we'_  aren't a  _'we'_. I don't even know who the hell you are!"

"Skye, I'm still me. You just have to let me explain things."

"Explain why you lied to me? Why you're working with a freaking super villain? Oh! Planning to pawn me off, is that it?"

"No, kiddo, I'd never-"

"Stop with that stupid nickname. I'm not a child, I'm twenty-five years old!"

"You say that like it's proving your point." Wolfe laughed, and Skye just stared in disbelief. He stopped. "I'm sorry, I should really read the room."

"No, you should really untie someone if you're trying to get on their good side!"

"Not just yet," he told her as he set down the scissors. "You're not a prisoner Skye, I just don't want you to leave with the wrong impression."

She scoffed. "Not a prisoner?" Skye shook her hand vigorously so the cuff clattered loudly against the bedpost. "Looks like you're the one with the wrong impression, Wolfe!"

"She is a feisty one, I'll give her that," Graviton said, stepping up. Wolfe nodded.

"I know. Definitely a fire in her," he said appraisingly, as if he approved of it or something.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Skye shouted.

"I'm sorry," Wolfe said with apparent sincerity. "Just give us a few minutes, it will all make sense soon. By the way, your bangs  _do_  look very pretty."

Skye opened her mouth but no words came out. She didn't even know how to respond to such a condescending comment, her wit deciding to take a temporary road trip. Instead, she sat down firmly on the bed and turned her back to the men so they couldn't see the angry tears forming in her eyes. The petulant behavior was only proving Wolfe right, but she couldn't help it.

She stared at the wall with her arms crossed, listening. Wolfe sighed.

"Could you give us a minute? I need to explain myself to her… this isn't how I wanted this to go."

"I'm aware of how you wished for everything to happen," replied Hall. "I hope this complication does not disrupt anything between us?"

"No, of course not. You'll get what we agreed upon."

Skye blinked away the tears finally pooling over in her eyes, wondering if her blood was the price they were talking about. She looked down at her cuffed hand. This situation was getting more and more like Ward's betrayal every minute, not that handcuffs were all that unique to when you caught a prisoner.

Because that’s what she was. His prisoner.

How could she have been so stupid? She'd known this guy for all of a couple hours before she decided to put every ounce of trust she had in him. Sure, he helped her out with Deathlok, but was she really so naïve and desperate for a white knight to save her that she didn't think he couldn't have another agenda?

 _Stupid. Stupid._   _Stupid._

Though, out of all her current woes, the worst feeling was not knowing if her team was safe anymore. She knew Wolfe at least hadn't been lying about Fitz' recovery; he was in some of the pictures from whatever happened in Florida. But anything could have happened afterwards. Plus, the fact that he'd gained their trust meant he could have crossed them off easily.

Like he could do at any moment with her.

"Someone's here," Graviton suddenly stated, causing Skye to turn her head to get a look at the door.

Wolfe walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.

"What…" he muttered, just before pulling the door open. "What are you doing here?"

Deathlok didn't answer. Instead he just walked inside straight passed Wolfe and the older man shut the door behind them.

"I hadn't gotten an order or update in quite some time. I thought I'd come check in physically."

Skye rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. "Of course, let's just mix in some more similarities between this and when Ward kidnapped me!" she exclaimed, before adding, "The first time."

All three men were staring at her and she felt mildly embarrassed for the outburst. She slouched back down and stared at her hands, thinking only for a moment before gasping with realization. Her eyes snapped up to look at Wolfe.

"You have Ace?" she shouted. "You're the one that took him from the start, aren't you?"

"Skye, I-"

" _You_  sent Mike and Superman's evil twin after me?" Skye asked, but she could read the answer as clear as day on Wolfe's face. "Oh my god, you did! What the hell? They tried to kill me!"

"They did not try to kill you, they were trying to make it  _look_  like they were trying to kill you," Wolfe clarified, and Skye couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief.

"Well, they did a damn good job!" she shouted.

Wolfe began walking over to her with open palms, as if trying to subdue her. "Look, this will all be more clear when I explain it."

"Then explain it!" she screamed.

"I WILL!" he shouted, the sudden anger and volume in his voice startling her so that she flinched inwardly. Wolfe stared at her, breathing deeply for a couple seconds. "In a few moments I will explain everything, but for now you need to be a good girl. So sit down, shut up, and be  _patient_."

Skye straightened herself to spite him, before hissing, "Like I'm going to listen to you."

"You're testing my patience Skye," he growled at her, and she rolled her eyes in response.

"Oh, well we wouldn't want  _that_ , now would we?"

"No, you wouldn't," he replied sharply, his face right in her own now. "I don't want to be the bad guy Skye, but I will do whatever's necessary for your co-operation."

Each word was carefully pronounced with such dangerous tones Skye's stare of defiance near wavered. Gone was his cheery demeanor. He didn't look furious, more like he was frustrated, and maybe exasperated, as he waved a pointed finger in front of her eyes.

"So stop acting up and do as I say."

He dropped his pointed hand and Skye began to nod, eyebrows raised.

"Wow," she replied slowly, letting a snarky smile grace her lips. "I'm actually kind of astounded you don't realize that you already are _the bad guy_." She chuckled. "Honestly, it's almost impressive to be in that much denial."

He could use all the intimidation tactics he wanted to, but Skye didn't respond well to being told  _to sit down and shut up._  The nuns had always told her "quit while you're ahead," or "don't push too far," but that just wasn't her, and she was used to the repercussions that came with it. Maybe she was being stupid, or proud, but she wouldn't give him an inch just yet.

She waited patiently for him to make good on his threat, to retaliate, but the blow never came. Instead, he combed his fingers through his black locks with a loud sigh of exasperation.

"Christ…" he mumbled, ignoring her remark and spinning around so he was no longer facing her. He whipped his small low-tech phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear, only to bring it down and stare at it. He pressed a few more buttons, brought it back up, and down again.

"God, you are clever," he chuckled, looking at her once again to see if she'd received his compliment. His face fell when he saw what she was doing: using her bad hand to try and reach the scissors Wolfe had left on the dresser. He nudged them with the back of his hand from nearly within her reach to just a few inches too far, almost tauntingly.

Skye’s outreached hand retreated. She to hide her discouraged look and instead responded to his  _praise._  "So you can see that it's only a matter of time before I outsmart you."

He shook his head with disappointment. "Not like that, kiddo. Pointless stunts like that will only get your other hand chained to the bed."

"That would be putting us at a pretty creepy level of bondage, Wolfe."

The man's nose wrinkled up in disgust at the comment. "Don't talk like that, Skye."

"Again, not going to do what you say, so I don't know why you insist on ordering me around," she informed him, her voice shrill with annoyance.

"Your daughter is clearly insubordinate," observed Graviton suddenly.

Wolfe's face turned beat red immediately and Skye could tell he was furious about the comment. She merely rolled her eyes.

"Why do we keep bringing that up?" Skye shouted. "It was just a stupid cover! And I'm obviously  _done_  playing house with you."

Hall looked at Wolfe with a puzzled expression, though he looked intrigued. "She doesn't know?"

"No!" shouted Wolfe, shaking his head furiously. "Of course she doesn't know!"

Skye, feeling dreadfully out of the loop now, decided to look over at Mike. As usual, he was looking straight ahead dutifully, but somehow, he seemed different than before. He looked renewed… maybe hopeful.

Or something. At least, that's what it seemed like to her.

Wolfe walked up to the bed, snapping Skye out of her observations of Deathlok. He knelt in front of her and for a moment Skye thought he was going to take her hand. She made sure they were both pulled back to her sides.

"There is something I have to tell you," he said heavily. "Something important."

"We finally getting to the long awaited explanation?" she asked.

He ignored her sarcastic attitude, continuing in his weighted mood. "You know that you aren't from here. You know that you're an 0-8-4, an object of unknown origin."

"Yeah… are you going to get to something I don't know any time soon?" she asked snappily.

"Yes. What you know is wrong," he said firmly, and Skye's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're not an 0-8-4, because I know exactly where you came from. I came from there too."

Skye wasn't stupid. Despite her status of a high school drop out, she was actually pretty smart. By this point, her mind had already sewn the clues together and had a pretty good idea of what he was going to say before he said it. But that didn't mean she was prepared for it.

"And I know this… because I'm your father."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sreya, your crack theory was pretty correct! As I didn't know about Cal when I wrote this, her dad's just an OC though ;)


	10. Skye's Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye finally gets some help.

Skye laughed. She couldn't help it. Skye laughed and laughed and laughed, her chuckles lined with disbelief at what this man was telling her. If all he'd done was lie to her why should she start believing him now, when it was something so absurd?

Wolfe stared at her, pursing his lips in a pitied grimace, nodding as if he expected this reaction but hoped for something different.

"I'm sorry," she said, catching her breath for a moment, "does that make me Luke or Leia? I mean, I know the whole," she puffed up her chest and lowered her voice, "' _I am your father'_  thing was to Luke, but Leia's the girl, so I dunno."

Skye shrugged, beginning to laugh again the moment she finished her quip. Her panic at the situation was perhaps finally catching up to her. Wolfe seemed at a loss of what to say, his mouth gaping open with sincere surprise when his phone began to ring.

"Saved by the bell," she chuckled, before going broke into her hysterics again.

"I'll give you a moment to process that," Wolfe muttered as he stood up to receive the call.

Skye let a few more guffaws run passed her lips before managing to calm herself down; she wanted to hear as much of this phone conversation as possible.

"I know, Skye turned off the service," Wolfe said into the device. "Why haven't you been in contact with Deathlok?"

As soon as Wolfe had said his name, Mike seemed to be over at the bed.

"You ok?" he asked in a whisper.

Skye looked up at him. He was still staring ahead, mechanical eye and all, but clearly talking to her.

"What?"

He continued. "Are you hurt? Are you able to run?"

Skye shook her head, brow furrowed in confusion. "Uh, no to the first, yes to second."

"Good. Get ready," he told her, discreetly grabbing onto the chain her hand was cuffed with.

"But Deathlok is here now!" Wolfe shouted, and turning around to see Mike at the bed, with Skye, the cuff in his hand, whispered, "Oh hell."

Just before it broke loose.

With one forceful tug from Deathlok's grip the handcuff broke free from the bedpost. He then didn't waste any time in pushing Skye over to the other side of the bed and over the edge. Wolfe already had out his ICER and was firing it in their direction as Skye took cover.

She heard a grunt from Wolfe and a body dropping to the ground. Though she couldn't see, she hoped that what she heard was exactly what happened.

But suddenly she couldn't feel the ground anymore, nothing but air beneath her feet as she gently began to rise up off the ground.

Once her line of sight passed the cover of the bed she could see Mike hanging in the air as well. He was firing shot after shot at Graviton, but he kept deflecting them with the wave of his hand, the other one obviously being used to lift them up.

She was kept in the air, but Deathlok was thrown violently onto the ground.

"Mike!" she shouted desperately. He was screaming.

Skye looked up with horror at Graviton. A wide smile was etched across his face and Skye knew he was enjoying his job too much. She heard few cracking and snapping sounds, causing Skye to sincerely hope they weren't bones breaking.

"Stop, please!" she screamed. "Stop hurting him!"

And Graviton did stop. He stopped everything, but not because he wanted to. Skye fell to the floor once again, but this time when her glossy eyes looked up she was flooded with relief at who had come bursting through the door.

Her team.

Coulson, May, Triplett, and Ward, to be exact.

Wait,  _Ward?_

She shook the thought away as it retreated into some deep recess of her mind, though she was positive it was one she was going to revisit.

The four of them came in toting some sort of strange weaponry, like big guns, but it seemed as though nothing was coming out. They surrounded the gravity-altering man with them and he seemed frozen on the spot.

"Skye, get Peterson and move!" Coulson ordered.

She galvanized into action, running to help Mike up. He seemed ok. He was on his two feet without using her for support at all and suddenly begun leading the charge as he directed her out of the hotel room.

She stopped at the doorway. "What about you guys?"

"We'll meet you out there, just go!" shouted Coulson, and Skye could see FitzSimmons beckoning to her from a van outside.

The relief. The relief that was bursting through Skye at this moment topped everything else: pain, sadness, fear, surprise, adrenaline… there was not one emotion that could compare to her team showing up to rescue her and seeing every single one of them in one piece.

Skye ran to the Short Bus, embracing Simmons automatically.

"Oh my god, I missed you," Skye mumbled against her, before turning to do the same with Fitz.

"We missed you too, Skye," Simmons told her, overwhelming relief and sincerity in her voice. "Are you hurt? Oh your hand! Do you need me to look at it?"

Despite asking for permission, Simmons had already taken and began looking over Skye's bandaged hand, possibly about to unwrap the thing while they were sitting in the van. Skye pulled it gently away from the concerned scientist.

"Nope, that's definitely fine right now. I'm interested in you guys! What happened in Florida? Garrett's dead?"

"Yep, he's dead," Fitz informed her. "Don't worry, we'll get you caught up. I missed stuff too while I was away."

"Yes!" Skye exclaimed. "How are you back? Are you ok?"

"Look, Skye," Simmons began in a pleasant but firm tone, "I understand you must have so many questions and I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling at the moment, but right now we really need to-"

"Hey, I'm focused. Mission, got it," Skye said quickly, only too thrilled to be back with these people. "What's going on? Can they kill Graviton with that stuff?"

"Graviton?" asked Fitz.

"She means Dr. Hall, obviously," said Simmons.

"I know what she means, Simmons. It was just an expression of shock at the name."

Skye was beaming. She probably shouldn't have been, considering her team was in that hotel still with a couple crazy people (one super-powered) but she couldn't help it. FitzSimmon's were bantering, right in front of her!

"Alright,  _Fitz._  No need to be so snippy!" said Simmons, almost sounding actually angry. "Skye, to answer your question: no. The guns are neutralizing the electrons in the air around him, therefore not giving him any electricity to power his… well, powers. But that takes a lot of force as they're basically splitting apart atoms without causing a nuclear blast, which honestly, is quite remarkable!"

Skye was nodding enthusiastically at the explanation, and Simmons seemed to realize that throughout all her words she hadn't actually answered the question. Maybe she was distracted by Skye not interrupting her to say, "English, please" as usual, but she was so thrilled to be listening to Simmons' voice she didn't dare stop her. The scientist cleared her throat, and continued.

"Therefore, the charge on the weaponry is going to run out soon. He should be stunned for a few minutes but considering we have no way to subdue him for a long period of time we have no way to hold him, so once that happens-"

A body being slumped into car made Simmons jump, effectively stopping her spiel.

Skye stared at Wolfe, unconscious on the floor of the van, until her eyes trailed upwards to see Deathlok's determined face in front of them.

He stepped over the body carefully, followed by Triplett.

And Ward.

Skye moved over to make room for the agents as May got into the driver's seat and Coulson the passenger's.

"Drive!" shouted Coulson.

"I am," responded May.

"Well, we're not moving!" he pointed out frantically.

Suddenly the car burst forward, causing everyone in the cramped space to shift. There were some groans and general sounds of discomfort.

"This is worse than the mini-van…" mumbled Trip.

"Aw, I missed a trip in a mini-van?" moaned Skye. "Dang, what else happened while I was gone?"

"A lot," May stated, eyes still on the road.

Coulson turned around, a smile bright on his face to which Skye happily returned. God, it was so good to see everyone. She already had a plan of action to hug each member of her team, even May.

Maybe not Ward.

But definitely, without a doubt, the older man smiling back at her that was the  _only_  father figure she'd ever known.

"Glad to have you back, Agent Skye."

* * *

"Soooo, what all have I missed?" asked Skye, her eagerness seeping into her voice and face as easily as if she were an excited puppy. "Don't even try to deny going to Disney World, I saw that. Can't believe you took a group vacation without me!"

"That was in no way a vacation!" protested Simmons. "It was a mission and a fairly terrifying one, at that. Though, if you'd been there as we were hoping we would have had the option to stay and make it one if we'd preferred, I suppose."

"Oh, well sorry my kidnapping got in the way of your ' _time on holiday_ ,'" Skye said in a mimicked accent of Simmons'.

When Simmons looked upset about possibly offending her friend, Skye nudged the scientist's shoulder playfully to further prove she was joking. It was nice to hear them giggling.

"Speaking of that," Triplett started with a grunt, as he was hauling Wolfe up to get some handcuffs on him, "I think it's maybe  _you_ who should be filling  _us_  in."

"Yeah!" agreed Fitz. "Where have you been all this time? I mean, Deathlok- er, uh, Mike told us he was ordered to attack you once but he didn't really know much else."

Coulson watched as Skye's glow of relief and happiness faded and he didn't miss her glance to both Wolfe and Ward, who had been silent as he sat as far as he could from everyone else.

Honestly, Coulson was surprised she hadn't brought up the latter already. Seeing the Hydra agent had to have been an unexpected, and if Coulson had to guess, unwanted sight for Skye.

Ward had been a tactical decision. They needed four people to wield the guns and after such a close call with the two scientists, no one was eager to put them that close to the action just yet. Ward had proven himself enough, giving helpful information about Skye's whereabouts and in taking down Garrett, that he'd seemed like the best option.

If Skye was avoiding bringing up such an obvious point then she must have not have been ready to talk quite yet. She'd have to tell them her story at some point but Coulson could at least delay the inevitable.

"Skye can be debriefed when she gets back to the BUS," Coulson told them with an air of authority. When he turned back to look at her, she flashed him a grateful smile, mouthing, "Thank you."

Skye turned her gaze to Peterson. "You helped them get me out," she observed, her jolly demeanor turned sour from bringing up current experiences. "Does that mean Ace is ok?"

"Yes. He's waiting on your plane," Peterson said stoically.

"That's amazing, I can't wait to see him!" she told him with a grin, though he didn't return it. He wouldn't even look at her, actually. She looked down to play with her nails nervously. "I'm sorry I stabbed you with a windshield wiper."

Fitz' eyes immediately widened with surprise at the comment as he opened his mouth to say something, but Simmons nudged him with a small "shh." Strangely, he seemed automatically angered by the comment.

That reminded Coulson: something was definitely off with the two of them.

When Skye voiced her apology, Mike immediately looked up at her.

"And I can never express how sorry I am for what I've done to you. Hopefully, I can work to make up for it in the future."

"You don't… you don't have to make up for any…" Skye faltered, obviously at a loss of what to say.

He  _was_  a murderer. It was under duress that he was forced to do these things, but to say that Mike Peterson had nothing to make up for was most likely a lie.

"FitzSimmons, tell Skye about the horse," said May.

Their faces immediately lit up, causing nearly everyone in the van to crack a smile.

"Oh my god, Skye, her name was Brisha and she was just the most beautiful animal you'd ever see!"

"I'm saving up to buy her."

"Oh Fitz, you barely knew her."

"I fed her an apple and we bonded!"

And as FitzSimmons rambled on the tension in the van turned light. Despite whatever troubles, unanswered questions, and doubted loyalties or guiltiness currently hounding them, at that moment they were grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doesn't seem like many people are reading this, so I'm basically posting it for Sreya and just to get it up on Ao3. But Sreya (and anyone else if they are reading)... you can totally set the pace as to how fast I update! I've got some time to proofread so if you want the daily updates I can do that, or slow down. :)


	11. Ward's Observation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye debriefs the team on what happened to her, and some emotions come to a head.

Skye was so happy to be back on the BUS. She'd gone to her bunk for merely to inhale the familiar scent and even went on Reddit and Youtube just to use her laptop again, as there wasn’t a need to do any hacking at the moment.

She'd given Ace a near life-threatening hug with how hard she squeezed the kid, after he'd finally let go of Mike of course. Deathlok actually requested if the team could take his kid home without the man seeing him at all, but there was no fuel left in the aircraft and it was difficult to come by now. It dispirited Skye to know that he was still going to be dropped off with his aunt, but at least he was safe.

Now Skye knew the inevitable had to come. It had to come before Wolfe woke up because they needed to interrogate him, and they needed to interrogate him with as much information as they could possibly have.

She wasn't even sure why she was so completely opposed to talking about it. It wasn't like they'd tortured her. Well, not much, and not without an incentive of research. She wasn't tied up or thrown into a cage for days or left without food. Heck, three of days she was gone she wasn't even awake!

But the more Skye thought about it, the more she realized she was ashamed.

She was ashamed for needing to have Ward come save her neck when she couldn't hold in her screams.

Ashamed for letting yet another person trick her into trusting them. Spending time with him, believing without a doubt that he was there to help her.

She was even ashamed for her very  _being._  She didn't even know what that was, but it was obviously something different, something special as everyone kept telling her.

And Wolfe said he knew what she was. Skye didn't know if she believed all that crap about him being her father, but what if he really did know what she was?

What would it mean?

"Hey girl," Triplett stated, startling Skye out of her pacing in the kitchen.

"Hey," she responded lightly before jumping up to sit on the counter. "Is everyone waiting for me?"

"Pretty much," he replied casually, taking a bite into an apple he'd just grabbed.

"Urgh…" she growled, lying back on the table. "You can go ahead and tell them for me. I'm just gonna, like, nap here."

"You know I would do nearly anything for you, but I have no idea what happened either."

"Yeah. Well, feel free to make something up. I'm sure it will at least be entertaining," Skye said as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Hmm… I'll give it a shot." Trip cleared his throat. "Wolfe is actually an undercover hair stylist, and he kidnapped you so you could be the test dummy for all his new creations."

Skye sat up, fixing him a look. "That's an interesting imagination you got there. Didn't know you had it in ya."

"Well, it would at least explain it."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Explain what?"

"Your hair."

"My hair?"

"Yeah. Did he make you do that?" Trip asked, and Skye wasn't sure if he was serious or not.

"Did Wolfe… make me get bangs?"

"Yeah."

"Um, no. I did it to get to the scissors. What made you think he'd force me to cut my hair?"

"Well, when you rescue a prisoner it's not very often that they decided a hair cut was on their to do list while they were captured. Tactically? I thought he might have had you do it to change your appearance and stay under the radar."

"Oh." She nodded. "That was… a more detailed explanation than I was expecting."

"I always aim to catch people off guard." He took another bite of the apple. "Though bangs wouldn't really do much. I'd have made you go blonde."

"Yeah? Well then, please try never to kidnap me. I could never pull that look off."

"No promises," Trip said with chuckle and a full mouth, just before swallowing the rest of the bite. "So, you ready?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

Skye hopped off the table gracefully, letting Triplett lead the way to wherever the team was waiting.

* * *

 

Ward was seated in the very corner of the comms room. He hadn't spoken and wasn't planning on it, not unless he was directly addressed. It was no secret that he was just a visitor here, an unwelcome one at that, but also perhaps convenient. They didn't want to get rid of what could possibly be an asset.

And with nowhere to go, he didn't want to leave.

Coulson and Simmons were discussing something quietly. It was just speculation, something about Dr. Hall and the Gravitonium. How they'd know more when Wolfe woke up and would be able to give them some facts.

It was May that kept an eye on Ward the most and he knew she'd put him down straight away if he tried anything. Her stare never left him. It was an obvious stare, one meant to intimidate. Unlike the nonchalant way he was keeping her in his vision, though he was sure she was aware of it anyhow.

He was becoming fairly relaxed in the situation when Triplett and Skye walked in. Coulson and Simmons’ talking trailed to a stop as they looked at the newcomers.

Skye was hugging herself, her body language screaming uncomfortable and anxious. Ward could see that she'd rather not talk about what happened.

But that was of course why they were doing it here in the comms room instead of the Cage or another interrogation room as they usually would. This team wasn't protocol, it never was.

They treated each other more like family.

And to be honest, he was surprised he was invited to this particular debriefing. Maybe they were really trying to integrate him back into their team. Though he doubted it.

"So, I get kidnapped by a rogue SHIELD agent and all he got me was this Wal-Mart t-shirt," Skye quipped suddenly, before looking down at it. "Actually, he got me like four."

"Wolfe bought you clothes?" asked Coulson.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "He was like, really nice to me at first. Well, for most of the time actually. You guys showed up right when I… discovered him."

"Did he get you the fringe as well?" asked Simmons curiously. "I mean, it looks wonderful, obviously, I was just wondering, why…?"

"No…" said Skye. " _I_ cut my bangs. In a bathroom with sewing scissors."

"Oh  _you_  did it!" Simmons exclaimed. "That explains it then… But I mean you did such a fantastic job. It looks professional!"

"Anyway," Coulson stepped forward when Skye was caught in a half-offended, half-amused stare by Simmons' comment. "Why don't you start at the beginning? With Hydra."

"Well, you were there for most of that. You or… him."

Skye nodded to Ward. It was the first time she'd admitted to his existence since they'd rescued her. Since Hydra.

He could feel her eyes on him. Grant was suddenly antsy, like he didn't know how to react. What he should be looking at or focusing on, where his hands usually were.

It wasn't a feeling Grant Ward was used to.

Coulson nodded encouragingly. "Well, give us a recap."

Skye explained everything. She explained how Ward had captured her, how she'd tried to get Ace out, how Coulson had taken the punches for her (which she apologized profusely for) and how Raina was using her for testing.

Then she got to the memory machine.

"It hurt so bad… and I could see things I know I shouldn't have been able to see: fire and screaming from when I was an infant and I could  _feel_  every bit of it. It felt worse than..." she trailed off, her hand just grazing her stomach. It seemed subconscious. Everyone knew what she was referencing, even if she didn't realize she was doing it. Then, sighing with an air of disappointment, she continued. "I couldn't help it. I cried out, or screamed or whatever, but Ward came and made Raina turn it off."

"Yes, Ward told us about that," said Coulson. "That's when Garrett attacked you, right?"

Skye nodded. "Said he wanted to see what I was like on the inside," She rubbed the gauze on her hand, almost subconsciously again. Her mind must have really been somewhere else. "He cut my hand open with a scalpel."

"I still want to look at that!" interjected Simmons.

Skye grinned. "I know. And I still want you to look at it, but later."

Simmons nodded quietly, taking a seat to listen again.

"That was pretty much all she wrote with Hydra. Next thing I knew, Raina was claiming to give me something to numb my hand, and I realized too late that wasn't the case. It knocked me out. I woke up on the top of a Ferris wheel three days later."

"What?" exclaimed Simmons.

"I know, right?" Skye said with a strange disbelieving smile. "Really weird. And Wolfe was there. That's how he got me to trust him. Saving me from this crazy situation where I had no idea what was going on." Her voice changed suddenly, from disbelief to disgust, with herself, it seemed. "I guess that's why I was so quick to believe him, I was just so confused…"

Coulson stepped forward, placing a hand on the shoulder of the hacker that was now staring at her shoes. "No. You believed him because he really was a SHIELD agent. Has been for twenty-five years."

Skye started for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Tw…twenty-five?" she gasped.

"Yes," said Coulson curiously.

Skye looked in shock. Or like she was realizing something. Like she was about to admit something as her mouth hung open and Ward was sure some kind of a revelation was about to come out-

"Wait for me, wait for me!" came Fitz' voice, soon followed by the man. He doubled over once he was in the room, clearly out of breath. "Oh good gravy, has she started with the story already?"

"Missed a good chunk, I'd say," said Triplett.

"Damn it… can she start over?"

"No," said Coulson, May, Triplett, and even Ward simultaneously.

Fitz backed up, his hands held in the air.

But all Ward cared for was what Skye had been about to say. He walked up to her, not even realizing what he was doing until he'd done it.

"What were you going to say, Skye?"

She scowled. "Nothing."

They stared at each other for a good few moments, but Ward couldn't read her. He decided she did this deliberately when she was around him. He was more than decent at reading most people, and he _could_ read Skye, but whenever he showed her attention she’d shut down.

"Alright, can we please address the elephant in the room?" asked Triplett through the silence.

"Oh! Skye's hair?" guessed Fitz.

Skye shook her head, turning away from Ward to face Fitz. "What is the obsession with my hair?" she exclaimed.

"Ah. Nothing," Fitz said stiffly. "Looks fantastic." He smiled, to which Skye looked incredulous.

Ward sighed. "I think the elephant Agent Triplett was referring to was me."

Skye spun to face him, arms crossed at her chest. "Funny, you don't look that big," she said, echoing his words from the first day they met with a cynical grin.

He smiled. "Cute."

Her grin quickly dropped. "Don't call me cute. Don't call me anything. You know what, don't talk to me at all," she spat, before adding quietly in the midst of a scoff: "traitor."

Ward was honestly shocked by the comment.

"Alright, how about we calm down," said Coulson.

Skye shrugged. "I'm calm. Who's not calm? How about Jemma, you calm?"

"Skye-" started Coulson.

"No, you know what? I'm  _not_  calm. I'm here pouring my heart out over what just happened to me, how I trusted someone and got burned again, and the person who first did that to me gets to sit and listen to everything I'm saying like he's just a member of the freaking club again?"

Coulson blinked. "We thought it would be wise since he could fill in the gaps of your story-"

"Well, in that case let's just bring Wolfe up here too," she snapped. "God, do I not get a say in anything? Do I not get to do  _anything_  on my own in my life? Am I even my own god damn person?"

"Oh, Skye…" said Simmons.

"Look, don't pity me Jemma," Skye sneered. "I'm aware that I'm rambling like a five-year old here." She spun around to look at Coulson. "But if what you say is true, and Wolfe came to SHIELD twenty five years ago than the timeline adds up, and that man down there could be my  _father._ "

The shock that plastered onto everyone's face was immediate. He wasn’t sure what the others had been expecting, but he was fairly certain no one had been expecting _that._

Skye continued, her eyes filling with tears. "My crazy father, who apparently drugged me, kidnapped me, and sent super powered freaks after me for god knows what reason! And now he's going to tell me what  _thing_  I am, what kind of  _freak_ I am, because, that's right, I'm probably not even human!"

"We did…" Simmons started hesitantly. "We were actually informed about your 0-8-4 status."

Skye threw her hands up, the tears making long streaks down her face now. "Of course you were. I bet that's the reason why you want to look at my hand, you want to see my blood too. Want to cut me open and see what's in there, just like you wanted to with that Asgardian."

Simmons shook her head frantically, her own eyes starting to shine. "No Skye, I would  _never_ do that to you unless you asked me to."

Skye ignored her, turning to Fitz. "And you. You said you'd 'hate to meet the guy', the 0-8-4, remember? That mean you hate me? I'm an 0-8-4 Fitz, am I  _dangerous?"_

Fitz appeared at a loss of what to say, and Ward doubted if he did remember what she was talking about.

Skye scoffed, throwing her hands into the air, yet again. "I mean, maybe I am. Who the hell knows? I guess maybe the guy downstairs. The guy that lied to me and will probably lie to me again if I try to ask him." Skye pulled at her own hair, pacing around the room in hysterics. "Like, is anyone here even real? How can I trust anything, how can I trust  _anyone_  if all they're after is me and my stupid blood and my stupid goddamn DNA!"

With that she kicked the underside of the comms' table, which held an assortment of devices that came crashing to the ground.

Skye seemed to suddenly become aware of her situation; aware of the confused and concerned faces that stared back at her while they’d allowed her to go off on her tangent. The tears piled up even more, as she slapped a hand to her mouth in horror and started to crumple to the floor.

May was on her in an instant. She didn't let the crying girl hit the ground as she placed an arm around her shoulder and the other hand clasped to Skye's arm, forcing her to stand and guiding her out of the room.

They heard her sobs even as she went down the hall.

"That… did not go as expected," admitted Coulson.

"Sir, that was downright awkward," said Triplett.

Simmons looked somewhat flustered by the event, but shook her head. "Oh, come now. Skye's just been through a traumatic experience! One we don't even know the extent of yet. All she needs is a proper amount of time to realize she's safe."

"Yeah but," started Fitz, "isn't she sort of right? If what she's saying about not being human is true… how safe will she ever be?"

And no one could say the answer to that out loud. No one wanted to, because they were almost positive of what the answer was.

She wouldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like I do have a few readers! Thanks for cluing me in ;) Daily updates for all!


	12. May's Wisdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye talks it out with some heart to hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like comfort scenes that's basically all this. You wouldn't really miss plot if you skip but obviously a tiny bit of character development.
> 
> Next chapter we get back to the plot! See what's going on with Wolfe and FitzSimmons ;)

"I can't believe I just went off like that."

"It's understandable."

Skye had been crying for exactly six minutes and thirteen seconds and she finally seemed to be calming down. Either she had simply gotten it all out or she realized she had emptied the last box of tissues on the BUS.

May was not the sentimental type. Anyone who'd met her for more than a few moments could discern this. But she wasn't without compassion, or recognizing when someone was in real pain.

"I guess so…" Skye said, shaking her head with annoyance, trying to clear the remnants of her tears. "I bet they're all talking about me right now; probably trying to justify it: 'whatever Skye must have gone through just pushed her passed the breaking point'… or something." She scoffed. "Nothing even happened that was  _that_ bad."

"You were dragged along with a man you thought you could trust for over a day after being held at a facility against your will, and everyone knows you were attacked at least twice," May told her calmly as she handed out the facts. "That in it of itself is enough to elicit some kind of radical behavior."

"I just… probably seem to pathetic to them," Skye admitted. "To you."

May then decided that Skye was waiting for the seasoned agent to tell her that she did seem pathetic, to confirm her fears as a weak person. Or perhaps she was hoping May would reassure her that she was in fact the opposite. Though Skye would have known May well enough to recognize that she was not the person to come to for such assurances.

No, Skye didn't need to be told what she was. Skye needed to decide what she was.

"Then show us you're not," May stated, and Skye looked up at her with interest in her eyes. "Pitying or berating yourself for past actions is pointless. Take a moment to compose, then go back in there and tell us what really happened."

Skye seemed to think about what had taken place then, her face screwing up with anger. "Not much did happen," she repeated. "He barely hurt me." She shook her head incredulously. "Actually, Wolfe never even touched me."

"Not all torture is physical."

"I  _wish_  he tortured me," she growled out, resentment ringing through the statement. "I wish he beat the crap out of me. Anything would be better than falling for all those _lies_ , again."

This was about Ward, that much was becoming clearer every moment. Not completely, of course. Skye had still gone through a rough time, what with learning her lineage perhaps being a dangerous creature and being attacked multiple times. But it was also her pride that was getting to her, as Skye was blaming herself for her own stupidity and trusting attitude. Not for the mere fact that these things happened to her, but she seemed to think she'd allowed them to happen to her.

"So he lied to you," stated May plainly. "An agent that's been in SHIELD for twenty-five years tricked the ex-level one hacker. It's really not surprising or that unprecedented. It's a fact and it just makes sense."

"Wow, thanks…"

"If you continue to mope around and complain about how he got one up on you, you'll never improve. You have to take your losses and failures and use them. Don't scold yourself for your mistakes. Learn from them and do better."

Skye cocked her head. "Ok, so say I learn from my mistakes. I've deeply meditated, decided how idiotic certain actions were and have grown as a person. What do I do then?"

"One would think you'd want to talk to him. Get the answers as to why he felt the need to betray you."

Skye snorted. "Like Coulson's going to let me anywhere near Wolfe after  _that_  display."

"Wolfe isn't the one I was talking about," May said pointedly.

Skye stared, before her eyes grew large. "Wait, you mean  _Ward_?"

May nodded.

Skye scoffed again. "Trust me, we've had plenty of time to talk. Did some good old chin-wagging back at the Hydra base  _he_ locked me up in. I don't really think there's much else to say."

"Obviously, there is. The fact that you're dwelling so much on Wolfe's betrayal shows you're not quite over the other betrayal in your life."

"Well, what do you expect? That was all of like, what, a few weeks ago? Of course I'm not over it! And it's not just Ward. Hydra infiltrated SHIELD. Ruined our lives, if you remember correctly."

"I take it that asking if I remember is sarcasm."

"Well, maybe not. Nothing seems to faze you. I mean the guy manipulated you to sleep with him and then beat the crap out of you afterwards, despite all that stuff you said about 'harnessing your anger'. And now you just let him waltz around the BUS like he belongs here? You're supposed to be this kick-ass field agent and you're letting him walk all over you!"

May tried to hold in her disdain for her comment, but her signature glare seemed to make an appearance.

Skye was lashing out. The kid had been through a lot and the older agent could understand that, though that didn't mean she should get a free pass. Skye seemed to realize this before May had to set her straight.

"Sorry," she told May's ice-cold stare. "I just don't know how you can handle him being here without going ninja crazy."

"I handle him being here because I have to. He's made up for what he's done enough that he can be used as an asset. He helped us find you and he especially showed some true gall when he killed Garrett."

" _He_ killed Garrett?" Skye asked, shock in her voice.

May shook her head, staring at the girl's wide eyes. They really needed to work on circulating information better around here.

"Yes. And along with obviously being somewhat worked over by the man, taking him out also meant betraying his allegiance to Hydra. After betraying SHIELD, that leaves him with no where to go."

"He's still a murderer," Skye pointed out sulkily, but May cut in before she could rant further.

"I'm not saying what he did makes him trustworthy by any means, though I do think it proved he's capable of some individual thought." May didn't voice it, but that was something she honestly wasn't sure if he was able to do before. "I'm guessing it would be beneficial to talk to him now that he doesn't have his former SO or Hydra's shadow looming over him. See if you can find reasoning behind these actions."

Skye seemed to be processing this, as she took a few moments of silence. May took the chance to change the subject.

"And if you really want to be the one to talk to Wolfe, you should actually try to show a little more of the self-worth you have than the self-pity you've been displaying. Coulson may be slightly more inclined to let you help interrogate."

Skye sighed, obviously finding truth in the words. She looked up at Melinda and grinned gratefully.

"Thank you."

May shifted slightly, acknowledging the comment with a nod. A few moments later Skye spoke again.

"So… is that invite still out there?"

May wasn't sure what she was referring to.

"For training at five in the mornings." Skye continued with a hesitant smile. "I'd like to learn some of your secret agent know-how, if you still wouldn't mind me crashing."

May cocked her head, before turning away from Skye and standing up. She saw the young woman's eyes fall disappointed from the corner of her vision.

"We'll start tomorrow," she stated as she headed out the door, a small smirk ghosting its way onto Melinda May's lips.

BREAK

"Coulson?" asked Skye, after knocking on his office door thrice.

"Come in," he called, and after taking a deep breath, she entered the room.

It was a welcoming sight, just another one to add to the checklist of familiarity. Coulson's office always seemed to be a place of scolding or praise. Now it was time for a debriefing.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked expectantly as she walked up to the desk. "Well, I was actually on my way up here when Fitz said you wanted to see me so… I guess I have something to say as well."

Coulson nodded, in that sagely yet interested way that was totally him. "Good. But if you don't mind, I'd like to start."

She motioned in front of herself. "Shoot."

Coulson took a deep breath, pursing his lips nervously before beginning.

"I wanted to apologize for the position I put you in earlier. It was wrong of me to ask you to explain what happened in front of everyone without knowing any of the specifics first. And completely wrong of me to think you wouldn't be adverse to having Ward there."

Skye was shaking her head frantically. Had been doing so pretty much from the word "apologize."

"You have nothing to be sorry for AC. I wanted to tell everyone and you knew that. It's me who should be sorry for acting so crazy," she said all this excitedly, trying to convey her words were the truth. But then she got quieter. "About Ward: technically, you're right. He could fill in the gaps that I couldn't and it's smart to have him on here. I was just surprised to see him. Ok, not just surprised. I guess kind of like rage-filled too."

"I know, it was stupid of me. After what he's done to you-" Coulson started.

"That's the thing. Ward did do terrible things. Things that probably should be unforgivable! But he tried to help me at the Hydra facility and he's been helping you guys. So with not too many people lining up to be SHIELD agents nowadays… it totally makes sense. I just don't think we should be buddy-buddy with him."

"And we're not," Coulson stated firmly, seeming to try and reassure her more than be angry with her. "We need to take every precaution with him. I don't know if you noticed, but we gave him something that used to belong to you."

Skye's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Did you go through my room while I was gone to give him a souvenir? Hope it wasn't my arc reactor replica, I'm kind of fond of it."

Coulson grinned. "Not exactly. Remember when SHIELD 'tagged you like a stray dog'?"

Skye smiled at the thought. "Tracking bracelet treatment. Nice."

That was actually just what Ward needed. It didn't escape Skye that when she'd betrayed her team to protect her boyfriend, Ward was the one who gave her the most crap about it. Had he been trying to be ironic? Maybe he'd thought it was funny. Or maybe he just decided that's what his "character" would do. Anyway, it felt good that he was getting her same punishment, even if his betrayal was definitely the worse of the two.

"Well, it's needed," Coulson continued. "There's no way we could allow a known Hydra soldier even out of containment without some precautionary measures, despite what he's done to prove himself."

Skye nodded. "Cool. Anyway, I'm ready to tell you in exquisite and exact detail what's gone on the passed couple days. Because, believe me, I really want to figure out what Wolfe's up to too."

"Don't worry, we will figure it out," Coulson assured her. "We've already started, actually."

"You mean he's awake?"

"Not exactly. But FitzSimmons are working on… a DNA test," said Coulson, somewhat hesitantly.

"Oh." It was all that came to mind when she realized what he meant. They were checking to see if he was really daddy dearest. "Well, when he does actually come back to the living, I'd like to speak with him too."

"Skye..."

"Look I know I freaked out in there but I was just in shock! I'm like, all composed and stuff now. Trust me, I'm good. I can do this."

"I'm not doubting your state of mind, Skye. I'm doubting your lack of training as an interrogator."

"But he was after  _me_. Maybe he'll talk to me."

"Then you will definitely be on the roster for a chat with him. I just think it's a good idea if someone else went in first."

She sighed, rubbing her hand over her face and through her hair before nodding.

"When's the last time you slept?" Coulson asked curiously.

"Oh, um…" Skye thought about it. She'd taken a small rest in the car with Wolfe at some point, but had never gotten to any stages of sleep with her nerves how they’d been. "I guess like… three days ago maybe?"

"Ok, new plan," said Coulson quickly. "You tell me the information you think is necessary about what's happened and then go take a rest. I'll talk to Wolfe. By the time you wake up you can interrogate him yourself."

Skye scowled. "What? No way, I'm not going to go to bed while you talk to him!"

"Well, you're not talking to him without getting some sleep. It will be too easy to let your emotions take over."

"Hydra made me sleep for three days so… doesn't that even it out?" Skye asked. She didn't get an answer, just a pointed stare that was clearly a 'no'. "I thought you said you didn't doubt my state of mind?"

"Changed my mind," said Coulson casually standing up to put a friendly hand on Skye's shoulder. "It's nothing against you. No one, not even the best field agents, can work at one-hundred percent when they're that tired."

'Tired' seemed to almost be a trigger, as Skye suddenly felt her eyelids nagging her to let them drop. She craved her bed. Her warm, cozy, bunk in the one place she truly called home.

She nodded with a truthful understanding.

"Let's get this chat over with, then," Skye mumbled, turning to sit down and tell all. But Coulson's grip remained on her shoulder, so she looked back to him in confusion. She was mildly stunned when he threw his hands around her.

She hugged him back.

"I'm glad you're safe," he told her.

She tried to hide the tears welling in her eyes, but he could probably feel them. Or hear the quiet sniffling. It didn't matter. She may have been over-tired, confused and possibly hunted, but for the moment he was right. She was safe.

She was home.


	13. Coulson's Irritation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson starts his interrogation of Wolfe while FitzSimmons try to go over some stuff in the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot is back!

Coulson stared with crossed arms and observant eyes at the feed to the interrogation room. Inside held one ex-agent. Phil quietly scoffed; he supposed in actuality they were all ex-agents. But this one had abandoned the promise they swore, the vow that they would protect the innocent from threats. And that's what an agent was to Phil Coulson. Instead, this man was a threat.

And Coulson realized he hated him.

Skye had recounted her story, the team leader trying to be indifferent but understanding through every word of it. She had obviously been trying very hard to not let her emotions overcome her again, of which she did an exceptional job.

Had Coulson known earlier she'd been running on such little sleep, he would never have thought to ask her to debrief before getting some. But now he knew it was for the best to at least get part of her story out, making sure she left out the smaller details until after she rested.

Wolfe had been dragging Skye around the country, apparently setting up ways for her to be attacked. And Skye told him Wolfe  _claimed_  he never wanted them to kill her.

So the question was: why?

He had already been inside the Playground, already on the inner loop with the team. If he'd brought Skye back to Coulson right away, he would have still been able to be with her and make a relationship with her. The only difference was she would have been protected.

And the question rang through Coulson's mind again: why?

As the man stirred, Phil realized he was finally going to get some answers.

He turned to exit the room, running into the second-least trusted person on his BUS at the moment.

"Any need of me for the interrogation, sir?" asked Ward.

Coulson shook his head, a fair amount of disbelief in the gesture. He was already in a sour mood just by having to look at the man whom felt the need to torment Skye, his claimed-to-be daughter, and running into a possible time bomb that Coulson himself was allowing to be here wasn't helping.

"You do realize you're not a member of this team, right? That can never be. You're just a consultant for useful information or needed actions."

"To be frank, sir, no one is an official member of this team. Officially, you don't exist," said Ward brazenly, but raised his hands in surrender when he must have seen Coulson's pissed off look. "But I was honestly just trying to see if you needed help."

"Well the answer is no," Coulson told him firmly and stepped passed the ex-agent. But he paused. Without turning around, he continued, "Ward."

"Yes, sir?"

"If he proves… un-cooperative, there is a  _minute_  chance your assistance will be needed. Assuming May's tactics don't work."

If May got a hold of Wolfe, Coulson was pretty sure he would talk. She, like everyone else, had come to care for their resident hacker and May had even beaten the living daylights out of Ian Quinn when he'd shot Skye. But Melinda could sometimes get ahead of herself. And if Coulson was being honest, Ward had a certain finesse in getting people to talk. Perhaps being able to read them, maybe coming from so much practice in learning to control his own character.

"Of course," said Ward, a little too eagerly. Either to get his hands on someone in general or to get payback for what Wolfe had done to Skye, Coulson didn't know.

The senior agent walked to the door the interrogation room, hand on the handle.

"Want some back up?" asked May.

Coulson sighed. "Look, I got this," he said a little snappily, but May didn't react to his small outburst.

"I'll watch from the comms room then."

He saw her walk off, just before pushing open the Cage door.

"Coulson," greeted Wolfe cheerily. "Good to see you, sir."

"Wish I could say the feeling was mutual," Coulson told him as he sat down. Wolfe's smiled never left his face, but he did morph some of it into a pout.

"No comment on how I'm not dead?" asked Wolfe.

"To be honest, I'm more interested in some other things. We could start with what the hell you thought you were doing with my agent."

Wolfe chuckled. "She may be your agent, but she's my daughter."

Coulson snorted, his lip turning up to a grin. "She said you'd say that. I'm not so sure."

"Trust me, it's the truth," Wolfe gestured to himself, the handcuffs keeping his motion limited to the table. "I just wanted to bond with her a little before bringing her back."

"Bonding time included getting her attacked?" asked Coulson, and Wolfe shrugged.

"What better way to quickly get someone to trust you than saving them from certain death?" He sighed. "Unfortunately, she seemed to be able to handle herself. They were supposed to make her fear for her life to the point of hopelessness, knock her out and bring her to me, where I could recount a story of how I rescued her."

"Wow. You would make a really great dad," said Coulson in mock awe, though some real awe found its way through at the sheer amount of insanity this man seemed to be sporting. "Who doesn't want their kid to get that feeling of life-threatening danger every once in a while?"

Probably a little too snarky for normal interrogation tactics, but Coulson was having a hard time listening to this guy. It was difficult to believe that only a little while ago he believed him to be a highly revered and trusted agent.

"Actually I suppose it's fortunate she was able to overcome them, isn't it?" Wolfe continued as if he didn't hear the other man. "Means my baby girl is strong. She's clever too." He chuckled, as if at a memory. "But as you may suspect, not all of that is attributed to our family genes… some is due to our species."

Coulson tried to keep the curiosity that raged behind his eyes from showing. "Sounds like you're insinuating that you're not human."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Of course I'm saying that! You  _know_ that! Skye's no more an object of unknown origin to me than you are to your own mother."

"So what species is this you so proudly call yourself apart of?"

Wolfe tilted his head, his smirk changing suddenly. As though Coulson had just asked something mischievous. "Oh, I can't tell you that Agent Coulson. That wouldn't be fair. Don't you think she has the right to know what she is before you do?"

"I promise to let her know as soon as she wakes up," suggested Coulson.

"If you think I'm not going to tell her myself, heh, well, you'd be mistaken."

 _He's making sure he gets to talk to her,_  Coulson thought, the suggestion making him want to lock this man up and get Skye as far away as possible. But she wanted to speak with him near as badly, and Coulson knew in the end it was inevitable,  _especially_  if he was telling the truth about her lineage.

Wolfe's smile suddenly disappeared, despite how it had seemed to be permanently etched on his face. His mood grew somber. "I really do want to thank you for taking care of her. She looks up to you Agent Coulson. All she wanted was to see you when I was with her. I would thank SHIELD too, but without them I could have brought her home long ago."

"They were protecting her  _from_  you," declared Coulson. "All those years ago in China. You do realize a whole village doesn't exist because of you, right? There must have been a reason."

Wolfe sighed, an air of true regret to it. "There is. You see my daughter is very special, and not just because she isn't human. She's special where I'm from as well. I won't delve into details without her presence, but it's why having her trust is so important to me."

Coulson raised his eyebrows. "That's a little unfortunate for you, because I don't think she's going to put one ounce of trust in you ever again."

"You'd be surprised, Agent Coulson," Wolfe told him, leaning back comfortably in his chair, despite the pulling of the handcuffs. He looked down. "I left my family for twenty-five years to find what remains of the rest of it, and I know now that she's been looking for me for just as long. A situation like that…" The man looked up with melancholy. "She may be open to more then you realize."

* * *

 

"Wolfe's awake," said Fitz, walking into the lab. "Coulson's talking to him now."

"Ah, good," Simmons said in a distracted tone as she typed an equation into her computer. "And Skye's been asleep for a few hours already, so she shouldn't miss much."

"You think it will take that long for Coulson to interrogate him?"

"I'm not sure. But even with Skye's lack of rest I doubt she'll be able to stay asleep for very long, nerves being as they are."

Simmons placed the vial in her hand carefully into a reader.

"Is that the DNA test, then?" asked Fitz. "How long will it take?"

"Actually, had the results been conclusive, it would have been done already."

"What does that mean?"

Fitz' voice was harsh. Every question he asked, every comment he made, slammed down onto Jemma's ears as though they were made of lead. They didn't seem to hold any real curiosity, though she was sure it must have been there or why would he bother asking?

But she wasn't sure if this brutal tone was due to her refusal of him while they were at the Ohio fairgrounds, or just another one of his new personality traits since he'd woken up. Because of this, she decidedly was not bringing it up.

"It means that they hold the similarities you are meant to hold to be kin, but at the same time… Wolfe's is strange. Almost like it keeps morphing back and forth. Of course, if he truly were an alien then this would make sense. But if he were Skye's father, wouldn't that mean the same thing should happen with her blood? Hers quite resembles human blood. Though, perhaps this is because she's spent her entire life on earth, or maybe being born here somehow changed the substance. There are literally infinite possibilities when talking about something we've never studied, let alone not having a controlled test subject."

Simmons said all this while moving around vials, her gloved hands carefully taking the two samples to different tests and recording what she made of them. When Jemma looked up, Fitz was staring at her with his hands on his hips, expectantly.

"So," Simmons continued, "given the information, it means that Wolfe probably is her actual father. Even with the variables, there are too many similarities for them to just be two completely random people. Of course with our limited knowledge on the matter, that could also mean they are just the same species and not actually related."

"Either way, that makes Skye a real alien…" said Fitz. "What kind do you reckon?"

"Well, I honestly don't know much about intergalactic breeds but to be honest, I still want to just think of Skye as Skye. God, I can't even imagine how we're going to tell her…"

"Maybe she's Asgardian!" said Fitz excitedly, ignoring Jemma's sentiment. "Maybe Wolfe knows Thor!"

"Oh, come now Fitz. I think the Asgardian we met would have been able to tell when he saw her. Also, Skye is a bit physically inferior to be of that species."

"Right, yeah. Skye's not very strong."

Simmons wanted to point out that Skye was at least stronger than Fitz according to an arm wrestling contest they'd had a few months back, but she hadn't been in the mood for reminiscing lately.

Fitz began to kick his feet nervously, reminding Simmons of a very pre-recovery version of him. "So, Jemma… I know things have been cold between us lately," he started.

Simmons hadn't known when exactly this conversation would happen and she knew she wouldn't be the one to bring it up, but it wasn't unexpected. Her response was cool and collected as she continued on with her work.

"That's because you said you were 'done with me,' if you recall correctly."

"Right… well, I kind of forgot that we basically work side by side every day."

Simmons scoffed. "Is that it then?" She turned to face him. "Not 'I'm sorry,' just that you forgot we have to work in the proximity of one another?"

"No, no!" he protested. "I am sorry. That was… immature of me. I guess with everything going on I haven't been feeling too well and I took it out on you, Jemma."

"Well… I accept your apology," she told him, only somewhat warmly.

"But have you had a chance to think about it?" he asked timidly.

Simmons mouth gaped. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but couldn't believe he'd had the gall to voice it. "Are you being serious?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted.

"No. I can honestly say I have not thought about it. I've thought about how rude you were that night and how we have been acting only remotely normal since then, but I can say for certain I've not thought about the romantic implications-"

And then his lips were on her, startling Simmons with a kiss for the second time in her life. Though this time she wasn't flooded with relief, more like stunned with shock. That was probably the only way he managed to stay on her for so long.

She pulled back. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry!" he answered frantically. "I just thought that's what you reacted best to. Actions, not talking."

Simmons stood there, mouth open and her head shaking minutely. She was about to respond, quite heatedly, when they heard a blood-curdling scream come from upstairs.

Correction: screams.

"Skye!" they shouted simultaneously, recognizing the voice.

Current troubles forgotten, both the scientists ran up the stairs and to the bunks where they knew Skye to be sleeping at the moment and where her current screams seemed to be resonating.

By the time they turned into the hallway they could only hear whimpering, and the repeated sounds of someone saying "shh." Nearer the room, they heard quiet pleas.

"Help, please…" Skye's quiet, desperate voice rang from the room in near incoherent mumbles.

"Shh. Skye, you're ok. Don't shout."

Simmons’ heart sped up when she heard the voice of the man in the room with her. Jemma ran as fast as possible until she was in the doorway and only stopped to look at the scene. Fitz came in just beside her.

Ward looked up at them, his face clearly in shock as he loomed over the bed, hunched in a way that reminded her of a gargoyle. When Simmons glanced at his hands she saw them clearly being used to pin Skye to the bed by her arms. Her friend's eyes were clenched shut as she was sobbing.

That is until she screamed bloody murder again, thrashing and using all her might against the man holding her down.

"Do-on't!" Skye shouted. "Please,  _stop!_ "

Without another thought, Simmons ran forward with some sort of a mangled battle cry and stabbed a syringe directly into Ward's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh Ward what are you doing??
> 
> Is everyone keeping up? I know Ao3 has been weird and slow lately so I'll stall updates if it's hard for you guys to get to the story.


	14. Ward's Incursion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward finds Skye in the midst of a nightmare and the team try to rouse her.

"Jesus! What the hell, Simmons?" Ward shouted, his hand feeling just below his neck where Simmons had just shoved a needle.

"Get away from her!" she cried, shoving Ward away from the bed. And surprisingly, she was able to do so. He toppled over easily.

Grant could feel himself losing it. He couldn't stand. Heck, he couldn't even sit up. He let himself fall to the ground, at least able to find the wall to lean on before his body completely stopped responding.

"What did you do to him?" asked Fitz.

"It's a muscle relaxant… I was seeing if we could use the formula for a new type of sedative. I grabbed it while we were running out of the lab, just in case." Simmons turned on Ward, obviously angry and with no trace of fear in her eyes. Not that there was anything Ward could do that would provoke such an emotion in his current state anyway. "What were you doing to her? We  _heard_ her screaming!"

"What was I…" Ward trailed off. "Look at her! I didn't do anything to her, something's wrong with her!"

Simmons turned abruptly, as if she hadn't been hearing Skye's constant crying, sobbing, and pleading.

Ward hadn't been too far from Skye's bunk when he'd heard the quiet whimpers originating from the room. Despite probably better judgment, he decided to check on his old rookie.

She had been having some kind of nightmare. Her face was screwed up in fear and she was mumbling under her breath, small sobs passing through her lips every few moments.

That was before the horrific screaming.

She’d thrashed in the bed and Ward had thought for a moment she was having a seizure, clutching down on her wrists to make sure she didn't move enough to harm herself. More pleading came through her lips, but despite how much Ward shook her she wouldn't wake.

FitzSimmons showed up then. Given his stance, they’d obviously come to some very bad conclusions. And now here he was, slumped uselessly on the ground as the two scientists tried to stop Skye from flailing.

"Fitz, hold her down!" ordered Simmons as she pressed on Skye's shoulders. Fitz was somewhat awkwardly holding her around the stomach, almost like he was hugging her.

"I'm trying, she's too strong!"

As if to prove his point, Skye pushed passed both of them and leapt out of the bed as though a demon had possessed her. The sheet was pulled with her as she collapsed to the ground and rolled onto her back, clutching her middle.

She almost looked like a scared child trying to ward away the monster in the closet that came out at night. Not that she was even wearing pajamas – she must have decided not to change as she was still in the outfit Ward had seen her in when she broke down earlier – but the way she rocked on the ground was near juvenile.

"Please stop! You don't have to do this, they didn't do anything!" Skye called to no one. "I'm right here. I'm right here!"

The analyst broke off into unintelligible sobs then, but she was no longer thrashing. She just rolled a little on the ground until she settled into the fetal position.

Simmons looked horrified, a hand covering her mouth as Ward saw tears begin to appear in her eyes. He noticed Fitz almost try to reach for Simmons' other hand. He must have second-guessed the motion as he pulled back, instead kneeling down next to Skye.

"Skye, you have to wake up now. You're not there," he said calmly, but the girl just kept sobbing.

"What in the hell is going on?"

All eyes turned to Triplett, who stood concerned in the doorway.

"Skye!" he exclaimed, skidding on his knees to sit next to Fitz. "What happened?"

"She must be dreaming, there's no other explanation!" Simmons said, stepping over with them.

"And what's  _he_  doing here?" Agent Triplett asked, blaming eyes aimed at Ward.

"He was just here by coincidence," said Simmons with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Fitz’ face turned dark. "What if he wasn't?"

"Oh right; and here comes the blame," Ward mumbled.

"Like you don't deserve it. You almost killed Simmons and me!" Fitz went off.

"Hey, look," said Triplett. "Not that you don't deserve to be pissed at this asshole, but we've got something else to worry about. And after all he's done to try and find Skye, I don't think he'd want…" Triplett gestured to the shaking girl, " _this_  to happen."

Not without a moment of hesitation first, Fitz nodded begrudgingly.

"She's beginning to thrash again," mumbled Simmons. "Triplett, get me a pillow from her bed!"

The agent did as he was told and Simmons immediately put it under Skye's sweat-drenched head. Ward cursed the stupid serum running through him, he felt so pointless. Not to mention he probably looked like some sort of ridiculous rag doll.

Skye began hitting the ground with balled fists as she cried, her head gradually sliding off the pillow. Simmons reached out her own hands shakily, trying to get the pillow back in place. Suddenly, with determination that surprised Ward, Simmons pulled Skye's head onto her lap and leaned down to hold it in place.

"It's ok Skye, you're safe," she cooed, brushing back the girl's hair.

Within a few moments the hacker _did_ quiet down. Still shaking with tears coming through, but she'd definitely improved.

Simmons gasped. "I think the physical contact is helping!"

Fitz immediately scooted forward to break down one of Skye's fists so he could hold her hand, and Triplett, tentatively at first, started to lightly rub her back.

It was as intimate of a scene if Ward ever saw one. He briefly wondered, if he weren't currently incapacitated, would the agents allow him to take part?

Would he?

Skye's eyes fluttered open, looking directly into Simmons'. She still had the frown of someone about to break down crying on her face, but seemed relieved to be awake and aware of her surroundings.

"Hey, don't worry," Simmons soothed. "We've got you. Your family's got you."

At the word "family" Skye's relief all but disappeared and her eyes held the fear and anguish her strange actions had been showing them the last few minutes.

That only lasted for a few fleeting seconds, and then she looked somewhat peaceful again. Skye blinked back the extra tears that made their way through at that moment. She then managed to give them a reassuring smile, just before it morphed to portray a look of great resolve.

Without a word, Skye lifted herself off the ground. Her eyes moved to glance at Ward for a moment. There was curiosity etched on her tear-stained face, but she either decided she didn't care or just didn't bother to ask. She began walking purposefully out the door.

"Wait, Skye! Where are you going? Do realize what just happened?" protested Simmons as she stood up. "Skye!"

When Simmons called out her name the second time Skye stopped, turning around to face the room with eyes that screamed determination.

"I'm going to have a chat with my father."


	15. Skye's Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye wakes up from her nightmare and goes to talk with Wolfe.

The bed had felt so good. The bed had felt so damn good that Skye was near convinced she'd fallen to sleep before she’d even hit the covers. And she'd slept soundly for a while.

But then the burning started.

The heat pricked at her skin like an unwelcome embrace, and she wanted it off, she just wanted it off! But it wouldn't get off. It licked at and marred her until there were tears mixing with the ash in her eyes. Skye couldn't see anything, not really. Orange and red clouded her vision, blurred by waves of distortion in the air and too many sounds. Too many sounds of fear and sadness.

And horror.

Skye wasn't actually anywhere at first in her dream, just some kind of deity floating and observing the happenings. But then she was. She was in someone's warm grasp, though she wasn't aware of whom it was.

"Shh," they told her soothingly. "It's ok, don't cry. Just be quiet. Everything's fine."

Skye wanted to believe them. Skye wanted so bad to believe this person, with arms so warm and fingers so soft they felt like silk as they touched over her head.

But she couldn't. Not when so many people were hurting, not while that man was shouting.

Not while the world was burning.

And she cried and screamed and sobbed, only distressing this lovely warm, soft person. This person who felt safe.

Horrible shouting came from the man who was looking for something. Someone. Everything was muddled. His voice seemed so far away, but it was still enough to make her tremble.

In fact, every voice was hard to understand, as though they had been speaking in some foreign language she couldn't comprehend. But the words were suddenly embedded in her memory as a language she had since learned, causing her to translate as she remembered. She had just felt raw emotion behind everything they'd said before. Now she could understand the meaning as well.

She buried her head into the man's chest. Yes, the person was a man. She could feel it now. Soft and warm but firm as he gripped her, like she was something precious. There were other men somewhere too. Not the scary man. Protective men. And a woman, too. Those men and woman were guardians and they were there for them.

Because  _they_  were there for her.

It all clicked for Skye then, in a moment of utmost clarity. These monsters setting things on fire and calling out for their lost object, their lost child: it was she. Of course it was, of course!

She ripped herself out of the man's embrace, going deep into the fray. Into the middle of the burning buildings and the running people and the dead children. The children shocked her. There were dead bodies everywhere, why wouldn't there be children?

She was a child herself; she was small. The vantage of her vision was lower than she was used to as her little legs carried her out there, into the battle of fire as the ground bit into her feet because that, too, was burning.

She begged and pleaded to the monsters, for there were two. The scary man and someone else. They wouldn't look at her, the little person whose hair flipped wildly in the wind as the hot air blew at her, making her eyes water even more somehow.

The tears were stinging her now. Why wouldn't they look at her? They needed to stop hurting people because of her. She was right there, right in front of them!

She could not blame them. Oh she should, murderers as they were, but they’d lost something so dear. The pain reflected in the monsters' own screams of absolute anguish, and Skye was right there!

Though she was not Skye, yet.

And she hadn’t actually been there, had she?

She was in the agent's arms as he ran her away, and Skye could feel herself split in two. The breeze from the agent's movements and the fear as she felt frozen in place in front of the monsters, watching the village become nothing. It would truly be nothing.

Though her body moved with the kind agent, and the rest of her was headed that way as she could feel in her bones, she managed to keep her vision on the man long enough for him to finally look at her.

She gasped, scowled and shook, for she was truly scared.

The thing looking back at her was someone she recognized. Not then, when this happened. Though, she supposed she knew she must have known him then as well; as much as a babe can know her father. But no, she knew him now. And he was telling her they were family and despite how much Skye refused to believe it, they were. It was clear. This was herself reflected, but she didn't want it to be.

The thing in front of her was not kind. It did not have to be human; she was sure it wasn’t in fact. But something so disfigured and bloodied with cuts sliced throughout his body would not be merciful. This was a soldier in front of her. This was a killer with a cold heart.

His cruel smile only confirmed it.

Skye didn't have to look at the man for too long, her consciousness floating away to where she belonged. Where she truly was in the moment. In that moment, when this happened.

Her protector, her safe harbor, no longer felt warm though. That had beat out of him minutes ago. Some of the warmth leaked onto Skye herself, but even that was cold now. The arms that wrapped around her were icy and unmoving.

A corpse.

And the infant cried.

Skye cried too, squeezing her eyes tight with fear.

But then she felt warmth. She didn't hear cries of panic and fear; she felt smooth warm touches and handholding.

So she opened her eyes.

The dream was gone.

Jemma Simmons stared down at her with a nervous relief that touched Skye's heart and lit up her entire being, forcing the chill left over from her nightmare to melt away.

Simmons told her something comforting like the Agent had tried to in her dream. Her friend gave assurance that it was Skye's "family" that was there for her.

But Skye's vivid dream had marred the word and she could feel herself wince, despite such a wonderful sentiment Simmons had put behind it. Skye forced herself to smile.

She stood, and from her watery itchy eyes she knew that she'd been crying. She knew they'd heard her, because why else would they all be here? Or saw her, as she seemed to have been on the ground. Simmons, Fitz, Triplett… and Ward, despite something being wrong with him as he was slouched against the wall. It didn't matter.

Now was the time for answers.

She was so determined she almost didn't hear Simmons calling to her, but she realized her friend just wanted to know where she was going. Skye banished the lingering fear and other emotions the dream – or perhaps more accurately, memory – had left behind.

"I'm going to have a chat with my father," she told her, possibly a bit too coldly.

Jemma’s mouth opened in shock, maybe because Skye was so brash about the statement that she'd been denying up until now. It wasn't denial so much as hope, but she’d known her parents destroyed a village looking for her. Could she expect anyone much better than Wolfe?

Well, she did have the expectations that her dad wouldn't try and off her, so she supposed the answer was yes.

Skye walked down to the Cage quickly, though she could feel someone shadowing her heels. That was fine, they could come.

"Skye," May said, appearing just before the doorway with outstretched hands to stop Skye's pursuit.

Skye lifted her chin, motioning towards the door. "He awake in there?" she asked.

"Yes. Coulson's still talking to him."

"My turn," said Skye, trying to go passed the agent. May pushed her back with a small shove, and Skye scoffed with offense. "Hey! Coulson said I could talk to him."

"After you've slept," May pointed out, crossing her arms.

"I did sleep," Skye said flatly. "Fresh as a daisy now."

"Bags under your dark red eyes and obvious moodiness say otherwise. It's only been a couple hours."

"Oh my god," Skye exclaimed incredulously. "I said I slept, I didn't say I got a pristine amount of beauty rest. Now let me in!"

Skye tried to move passed May again. This time the agent didn't just push her away, but deflected Skye's movements by pushing her so that Skye had doubled over, May holding her firmly in an arm bar.

"Let go!" demanded Skye, obviously irritated.

May did, and Skye shuffled over the side, rubbing at her elbow while eyeing the older agent warily.

All of a sudden her stalkers made their appearance. Fitz, Simmons and Triplett had all followed her to the interrogation room.

May stepped up close to Skye, who slightly flinched, almost afraid she was going to use another ninja move.

"That's something we can work on soon, if you still want to train with me."

Skye pursed her lips, somewhat put off by the physical move against her. But she nodded.

All of sudden the Cage door opened then and Coulson sauntered out, closing it behind him. He looked up with surprise at the amount of people in front of him.

"Oh good, you're all here," he said upon seeing his team.

Skye stepped up eagerly and asked with earnest, "Can I talk to him now?"

"Give him a few minutes, it's a technique," Coulson told her. "Besides, you should learn what I've learned first."

Damn all these people being reasonable and smart. It left Skye with no reason to protest, so she just nodded again.

"Everyone should hear this." Coulson surveyed the group. "Where's Ward?"

"He's a bit... incapacitated," said Simmons awkwardly. "I stuck him with a muscle relaxant when he was in Skye's bunk."

Coulson's face turned dark with alarm. He looked to Skye, who held her arms up defensively.

"Don't look at me, I was asleep."

"Oh he didn't do anything!" protested Simmons, before waving her hand dismissively. Skye cocked a curious eyebrow. "Complete misunderstanding. But he can't move so… he can't be here with us."

"Fine," said Coulson. "He doesn't need to be as long as we know where he is. Everyone else, briefing room."

Coulson summed up what Wolfe had given him, which truth be told, wasn't too much. But Skye still listened intently.

"He was withholding information," Coulson continued, "because he wanted to talk to-"

"To me," she finished for him. Everyone turned to look at her, and she realized she had her arms crossed and was staring intently. Maybe fiercely. "Well, I'd hate to give him what he wants but… I'm also pretty curious as to what I am."

"Not gonna lie, me too," said Trip.

FitzSimmons nodded excitedly as well.

"Team gets it." She shrugged. "I've got to talk to him, AC. So, when am I allowed to do that?"

"Now," Coulson told her, surprisingly.

Skye nodded, a wry smile on her face. "Oook was expecting a hoop or two but I'll take it."

"Want someone in there with you?" asked Triplett, and Skye didn't miss how Coulson and May edged forwards.

"Nah, I've got this. Family reunion should just be us, right?"

Coulson nodded. "We'll be watching."

The team looked apprehensive. All five of them.

"He is chained up in there, right?" asked Skye. "You guys are starting to freak me out."

"He is. Just… don't believe everything he says. Take it with a grain of salt," Coulson warned her.

"He's been lying for twenty-five years, so to suddenly decide and tell the whole truth would be surprising," May added plainly, apparently wanting to make sure Skye understood the complete literal impression of Coulson's words.

"Don't worry, I can do this," she told them, trying to hide her very large feelings of apprehension. Thing was, he  _wanted_  to talk to her; she just had to ask the right questions and not get over-emotional.

With her team left to watch the footage from the comms room, Skye walked over to where Wolfe was being held. She took a deep breath, hand on the door, before finally deciding to open it.

There he was, cheery and expectant. Black hair perfectly in place. It seemed to never get raggedy. Meanwhile, Skye looked like she'd had a mop for hair when she'd been a prisoner.

Not that it was important, but she noticed it.

"Hey there, kiddo."

"Wolfe," she acknowledged, taking the seat across from him at the interrogation table. "Or were you expecting I call you 'daddo'? Or daddy? Sorry, I'm too up on the parental names, growing up without parents and all."

He laughed. "I don't have any delusions we're quite that close yet. But sure, feel free to call me dad."

"I'm guessing you have another name that's not 'dad' or 'Wolfe'," Skye said. "Care to share?"

"Do you?" he rebounded.

"Mary Sue Poots," she disclosed without hesitation, unexpectedly enough to get a look of shock on his face. "But you may have known that. I'm guessing you did some checking up on me."

Wolfe shook his head, looking somewhat amused. "Can't say I did know that one, actually."

"I guess I did do a pretty good job of scrubbing my records. Especially with that, not really something I'm fond of. Whatever your name is, gotta be better than that, right?"

"Let's stick with Wolfe, for now." He laughed. "Or Eli. I've been living this life for twenty-five years. You may be surprised, but I'm actually pretty accustomed to it."

"So... this is it?" Skye inquired, gesturing towards the man. "You're the father I've been looking for all these years."

"I am. Are you disappointed?" he asked, looking truly curious.

Skye wasn't sure at first. She'd never really thought about  _what_ her parents would be like if she found them. She just wanted to find them.

"Can't say I wanted him to be a liar and a kidnapper," she admitted.

"Oh, I didn't really kidnap you, Skye," he said, as casually as if they were disagreeing about whether or not it would rain that day. "That's a little harsh."

She leaned in to him, pronouncing her words as though he was dense. "You handcuffed me to a bed."

He pointed a finger to her. "I said I'd explain that."

"Well," Skye gestured around herself, "This seems to be the place to do it. It's called an interrogation room for a reason."

"You sure you want to know? It's a long story. And I don't have pictures or anything, so you'll have to keep up yourself."

Skye's smile crept slowly up her mouth. "I'm all ears, Wolfe."

He looked down, before glancing up in a sort of sideways manner at Skye's face. Almost sheepishly. Almost  _endearingly_. Almost.

"Have you ever heard of a race called the Kree?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that dream wasn't too confusing! It wasn't an exact memory the way Skye saw it. She kinda was morphing between just being there as an observer, being a baby, and a child. I just wanted it to be all crazy like dreams can be, so don't read too too much into it lol.
> 
> Sorry about no update yesterday. It was Halloween and I was busy. Btw... happy belated halloween!


	16. Skye's Inquiry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye learns of her heritage from Wolfe.

Kree?

Skye's breath hitched in her throat.

Was this her true identity?

"No… I've never heard of them," Skye told him, palpable curiosity in her voice.

"Oh,  _you_ aren't one of them!" Wolfe assured her. She released the breath she’d been holding, her shoulders slumping sluggishly. "To be honest, I don't know what to classify you as."

Skye scowled, her face caught somewhere between disbelief and anger, with a little bit of offense thrown in. "What the hell does that mean?" she asked. "You're my father! You should know what… species your kid is!"

Wolfe cocked his head to the side. "I'm interested: at what point did you decide that I'm truly your father? I doubt that DNA test told you anything specific."

Slightly shocked he even knew about the DNA test, Skye shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked down. She realized how stupid this would sound.

"I had a nightmare," she admitted, fiercely looking up to meet his eyes when she remembered she was supposed to be the interrogator here. The one in charge.

"Rather fitting to come to your father for that," he laughed, and Skye could have grinned. Still, she didn't. "But I'm taking it that this wasn't an ordinary nightmare?"

She shook her head. "It was China, twenty-five years ago when the village was attacked." She paused. "When  _you_  attacked the village."

Wolfe pursed his lips together. "I did do that, and it's a true shame that so many humans had to die."

Skye didn't think he sounded like he felt all that bad, but maybe years of having to deal with it hollowed him out.

"It was a necessary evil, though. They were after you."

"Who?" Skye asked, nearly breathless with curiosity.

"Everyone. The Inhumans, the Skrulls, the god damn SHIELD agents..." Wolfe seethed, shaking his head. "I never would have come to earth if I’d known those people were around."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just learned the word Kree all about a minute ago. Inhuman? Skull?"

 _"Skrull,"_  he corrected, and sighed. "God, I keep forgetting how uneducated you are. This is going to be hard to explain…"

"Try." Skye's tone was flat. Hard. She wanted to hear this.

Wolfe leaned in. "I'm what they call an Inhuman, and we can get to the history lesson on the species later. But your mother was not."

Inhuman. Ok, so she was half Inhuman.

Well, that sounded awful.

It was like some sort of monster. That's what you called people when they were so evil they were acting "inhuman."

Skye didn't like it.

"And my mother was…?"

"Kree."

Ah, so Skye was  _some_  Kree.

And in that moment, Skye realized that – barring that Wolfe was lying – she'd just been told what she was. Discovered what she'd been searching for her entire life. Not that she'd known she wasn't human until the last few months, though she'd always wondered what race she was. She'd always looked a little different. Mexican? Chinese? Maybe some Native American? She couldn't even figure that out. But now she was becoming enlightened to exactly how different she was. Finding her origin. Her beginnings.

Her mind could barely process it.

"Pure bloodline Kree, not pink-skinned," continued Wolfe easily, as if he didn't just give Skye life-altering information. "Which added more to our shame if you asked the councils."

Skye shook her head. "You're not making sense… pink skin?"

"A form of Kree that resemble… humans, actually. But the original Kree were blue."

Skye's eyebrows shot up. "My mother was a blue alien?" she asked incredulously.

Wolfe flashed her a toothy grin. "Aren't you glad you got dad's skin color?"

 _Yes,_  she thought but didn't voice, instead just continuing her questioning. "So, where is she now? She a sleeper inside SHIELD too? I guess that would be a bit harder with the whole blue skin thing…"

"She's dead," Wolfe said flatly, shifting his stare to the ground.

Skye felt her heart drop like lead into her stomach, and not only from the pain clearly caused to this man from the happening. But because her hope of ever seeing the mother she'd dreamt about for so long flickered away with those two words, as fast as someone could diminish the light from a candle.

At least she knew now.

"Sapphire died in the Hunan Province. The SHIELD team picked her up and brought her in as though she were just another alien artifact to study," explained Wolfe, and Skye noted the bitterness in his voice. "But I suppose I can be grateful. After all, it was because of them she continued to give you life long after that."

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" asked Skye.

"GH.325. Ring any bells?" asked Wolfe.

"Yes. It's the miracle drug they used on Coulson and..." Her eyes widened with realization.

"Right." Wolfe smirked. "Less of a miracle drug than a blood transfusion from your very own mother." He pursed his lips in thought. "Well, I suppose it could be classified as a miracle drug to Agent Coulson."

That was… remarkable. Skye, once again, felt frazzled. Her mother's blood had saved her? If her mother hadn't died, Skye would be dead. Coulson would be dead.

The hacker rubbed her eyes warily, trying to track all the information as well as wipe away any tears that might have slipped through with the latest revelation. Her head pounded with every new piece to the puzzle.

_The team better be recording this…_

"In the nightmare, you saw my face, I take it?" asked Wolfe, giving Skye whiplash from the change of subject. "That's how you're so sure I'm your father."

"Uh, yes," she said with some uncertainty, mind still pacing a couple feet behind. "But you didn't look… normal. Well, maybe you did look normal for you, I dunno, but you looked-"

"Bloody? Cuts everywhere?"

Skye nodded.

He scoffed a laugh. "Raina's memory machine finally did something right then."

"So, you know Flower Dress?" asked Skye casually, not voicing the revelation that the machine caused her abrupt access to her memories. "She's definitely on my list of 'people I never need to see again.'"

Wolfe's eyes lit up, seeming only too eager to agree with her. "I know! She gives that impression to everyone it seems. But your mother wanted a caretaker and she was the only one willing to come to earth with us. Her curiosity made us certain she'd take care of you."

"Ok, rewind. Remember, alien knowledge novice here." Skye paused, shook her head. "Wait, did you say caretaker? As in like… nanny?"

"You could call it that."

"Wow, ok. So you, mom, and Nanny McFee came to earth… why? And where from? Wait, does that mean Raina's an Inhuman or Kree?"

"Whoa, that's a lot of questions." Wolfe laughed. "I can see you haven't been trained in interrogation yet, have you kiddo?"

"Just answer the question," said Skye firmly, somewhat offended.

He chuckled. "Which one?"

Skye glared. Maybe he was just trying to be friendly with her, but he was also making fun of her. And she was supposed to be the one with the upper hand here.

She shifted her posture so that she was up straight, chin held high. Her movement was obviously noted by Wolfe.

"All of them," she said with as much authority as she could muster.

Wolfe sighed. "Raina's an Inhuman. She wanted to… well, in terms someone with a lack of 'alien education' can understand, she wanted to find herself. So she would help us and we would help her go through that… process."

Skye kept intrigue on her face, urging him to continue.

"We were on Hala, my home planet when Sapphire was nearing the end of her pregnancy. And that's when the prophecy manifested."

"Prophecy?" Skye scoffed. "Like, telling the future sort of thing?"

"It's not uncommon on my world, so it should be taken seriously," said Wolfe sternly. " _Especially_  to you."

"Why?" Skye asked as her stomach flipped, already knowing the answer.

"It's about you, Skye."

She was nervous, near shaking with excitement of finding out all the answers and trepidation of what they might mean, but she kept her composure.

"What about me?"

"You don't… you're not like us. You're not like any other being. You're mother and I were never supposed to be together; it's never been done," he explained, his cuffed hands reaching for her as if he wanted to console her through the process. "You're the first and only Kree-Inhuman hybrid."

"Huh." Skye didn't really know what else to say. The information not only baffled her, but somehow, it suddenly made her feel very alone.

"And you may be the last, considering you were the only one before the curse."

Ok. Very, very alone.

"Curses now, eh?" Skye tried to maintain her nerve. "First we talk about a prophecy, and now we're onto curses. We got a wicked witch in the story soon?"

"The two are linked," Wolfe explained. "And the only things that are wicked in this story are the Skrulls who did this to us. Horrible, green creatures."

"Right, alien life form number three. Almost forgot about them."

"You'd be wise not to. They're the cause of the curse. They used the Terrigen Crystals against the Inhumans so we can no longer use the Mist for its true purpose."

"The what now?"

"The Terrigen Mist. It is a form of magic that allows our abilities to be made clear. Each Inhuman has a different power, a different skill, but it will only manifest after they are exposed to the Mist."

"Whoa, that's…actually really cool. Can I do that? Can you? What's your power?" She cleared her throat, reining in her excitement. "That is, if this so-called 'Terrigen Mist' really exists."

"Trust me, it is very real. But the Skrulls were able to distort it. They morphed it so we can no longer breed and can no longer use the powers within us." Wolfe's face held a true feeling of hurt and sorrow from the knowledge, and Skye's eyes flicked away almost in an attempt to give him privacy.

He continued. "Then you were going to be born. Neither one of our councils were happy about it. Both of our species, though the Kree more than the Inhumans, were very against intermingling between other species. And then the prophecy showed up. The one that said the impure baby girl would be the one to end the curse."

"And that's me," Skye confirmed, nodding to herself and ignoring the rude title of 'impure'. "I guess I'm more important than they realized."

"You sure were," he said lightly. "But because of that, they wanted you. Everyone. Skrulls _and_ Inhumans. So we fled to Terra, or Earth. We stopped on this planet's moon for Sapphire to give birth."

Skye could have laughed. She almost did.

"I was born on the moon?" she asked in disbelief.

"You chose a very appropriate name for yourself, considering it's where you came from."

Skye mused for a moment. "So… from moon to Chinese village?"

"It had limited technology and we were hoping we could evade whomever was after us longer by residing there. We were wrong. Skrulls infiltrated almost immediately, taking the place of many of the villagers."

Skye played back the information she'd been given in her head. "I recall you saying they were green… you didn't take notice of that?" asked Skye.

"Skrulls are shapeshifters. When I say they took the place of the villagers, I mean that they killed them off and quite literally took their place. We couldn't tell who was who, it was a massacre…"

The memory hurt him; Skye could see it on his face. But if her dream held true, she knew he also enjoyed it. At least somewhat. The smile on his face left no room for lies.

"That is how you saw me in the dream. My power allows me to inflict pain on others, but I have to suffer somewhat myself in order for it to work. Hence, the cuts."

"I think you got ripped off," mumbled Skye. "That power sounds kind of… terrible. No offense."

“I became a soldier," he told her simply. "It seemed the proper thing to do once my power manifested. Plus, having some of the pain inflicted on me ensures I don't abuse my gift."

"Why don't…" Skye hesitated, not wanting to give him any ideas. But he of course would have thought of this. "Why don't you use it now?

"Oh Skye, I don't want to hurt you," Wolfe said earnestly, before adding quickly, "And the longer the curse has had to grow, the harder it's gotten to control the powers."

"Ah, there it is."

"But I would still never hurt you," he assured her.

"Sure. Let's get back on track. You were attacking some Skrulls, and that's when the SHIELD agents came?" Skye prompted him to continue.

"And the Inhumans. Everyone was there for you. The SHIELD agents to protect you, the Inhumans to take and use you, and the Skrulls to kill you."

Skye figured she had a dark past, but this was turning out to be more like a fairy tale. The original ones, where people had their eyes gouged out or got pregnant in their sleep. Not the modern Disney crap.

"I hate to ask but… why didn't you just give me to the Inhumans? It's not like they wanted me for a bad reason. This prophecy thing says if I help, then you guys can have kids and families again. Plus get your cool powers. Don't you want your race to continue?"

He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Skye, you don't understand. In order for the ritual to work you have to be exposed to the Terrigen Mist."

"Doesn't that just mean I just get some sweet power?" she asked hopefully, yet not expecting the answer to be yes.

"No. You're not full Inhuman. You're not complete Kree either, and the two cancel each other. For all intents and purposes, as far as physical strength and powers go, you are a mere human."

Skye sat back, a little discouraged. From super-special prophesy girl to plain old human in about two minutes. She couldn't even be classified as on 0-8-4 anymore as she now knew her origins. Though she did discover said origin to be the moon, which was kind of cool.

"Your mother and I didn't want our child to be exposed to the Mist. We couldn't allow it, so we fled to earth so the Council couldn't do it for us," Wolfe told her, and she could tell he was trying to avoid her eyes now. She knew some things about interrogation, or picking up on basic human clues. That meant he was ashamed of something he did, or perhaps something he had to tell her.

"Why?" Skye asked, so afraid of the answer. She tried to swallow the lump developing in her throat. Her mouth was too dry. "Why can't I be exposed?"

"Because you'd die, Skye." Wolfe met her eyes, all the concern and worry a father should have for his daughter were residing in his. She saw her own fears mirrored in them, and they only broke away from each other's gaze when he leaned down to sigh. "And I'm so sorry. I tried to take you away and find a new way. But I couldn't. I… can't."

Skye swallowed as she finally got rid of the lump. "What are you saying?" she asked, voice heavy and thick like it was made of syrup.

"I'm asking, Skye, if you will save our species and become the hero you were destined to be. I'm asking you to sacrifice yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun DUUUUN!
> 
> Long explanation. Hope it was bearable. If it's too confusing let me know, though next chapter will at least answer a few more things. This is based off of comic book lore, but I am taking creative license and changing a couple things. Skye is actually lightly based off of a specific character, but *not* Daisy! I wrote this before we knew anything relating to Quake haha.


	17. Ward's Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye finishes up her conversation with Wolfe and talks to the team.

Grant Ward did not appreciate this.

He did not appreciate getting sedated by some experimental drug while he was just trying to help his former rookie, only to be left in a room alone to recover as the rest of the team trailed after said rookie.

Simmons had tried to run out of the room directly after Skye, but Ward had stopped her and exclaimed he didn't want to be left in this condition. She quickly assured him the effects were extremely temporary and only lasted about an hour. Then she prattled on about how it might be different with human subjects, which only twisted a small knot of rage in Ward's stomach further.

But they'd left him there, on the ground. Eventually he got some feeling back. It started in his fingers until it spread out to his legs, so he made a move towards the hall.

Thankfully no one had been around to see him at first, as he looked more than a little ridiculous, and by the time he got to where the team seemed to be residing, he had almost complete feeling back.

"What's going on?" Ward asked as he walked into the comms room, where five SHIELD agents stared at him. They did so only briefly before turning back to what was keeping their attentions. Behind them was the feed to the Cage playing on the screen. Wolfe's face was visible clearly to the camera, and it didn't take too many context clues to figure out the other person was Skye.

 _Something serious, I guess,_  thought Ward when no one answered him. Each of their faces were reading as fairly stressed.

"She's not going to say yes, is she?" asked a very worried Simmons.

"He's talking about saving an  _entire_  race from extinction," pointed out Triplett. "That sounds like the exact sort of thing Skye would put herself in the line of fire for."

"Ah, pish. I bet it's not even the truth," answered Fitz. "This is a ridiculous story. It's too full of magic and curses."

"The science adds up though!" protested Simmons. "We've seen beings from other planets do some amazing things, and Wolfe truly does seem to be from another world based on Skye's 0-8-4 status and his blood. Also, this whole 'cancelling out her powers' bit would explain why I didn't see any anomalies in Skye's blood, why it looked human." Simmons scoffed, suddenly amused. "Though, it is actually a pretty ridiculous theory as to how genes work, cancelling out each other." She chuckled. “Unless it’s a sort of recessive trait…”

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" asked Ward, feeling the need to know the situation. He was aware he didn't deserve it; that he was in the doghouse and should be on the outs as long as he was there, but this was about Skye. He needed to know.

"Um uh, that's Skye's dad," stammered Fitz quickly, "and he's this alien that wants Skye to be part of a sacrifice because she's the only one that can save his species from a curse that's making it so they can't have any offspring."

"Oh, also!" added Simmons. "Skye's mother's blood is what makes up the GH.325 drug! Rather remarkable."

"What?" asked Ward, somewhat winded by both statements, though mainly the sacrifice one.

Fitz turned on Simmons. "That's what you found important. After all that about different species and Skye's heritage, you think the most relevant thing is what makes up the drug?"

"It is! We had no idea of what Skye was when we injected that into her. What are the odds it would be her very own mother?"

"Wait, this guy is asking Skye to  _die_?" asked Ward, still reeling.

"Well, actually-"

Simmons didn't get to finish her sentence, as when May turned around with a glare that somehow touched all of their eyes, so the girl's voice seemed to get caught in her throat.

"Quiet," said May. "We need to listen."

Ward turned his attention to the screen where Skye was asking for more backstory. She had a little heat in her voice, but at the same time, she was sounding increasingly vulnerable.

From what Ward gleamed over the next few minutes, Wolfe had been trying to put her in terrifying and life-threatening situations just so she would trust him. He'd hired the scummiest boys he could find to threaten her at the carnival, used Ace to control Deathlok, and seemed to have some sort of deal with the scientist who now called himself Graviton. Something about taking him back to Wolfe's home world with him, and perhaps getting a look at Skye and her blood at some point.

The man assured Skye he never intended the second part to happen.

Wolfe did all this to gain her trust, so that when he could finally admit that he was in fact her father, she would listen to him with an open heart and perhaps be willing to do the horrific thing he asked. Because, the most interesting thing about the sacrifice: she had to do it  _willingly_.

Ward very much wished the man had fallen on his face when Skye discovered his true nature.

But Skye didn't scoff at him and didn't turn her back. Didn't tell him to  _"go to hell."_  She wanted the facts, because even when faced with the choice to die if she helped him, she still considered it a possibility so the species could continue.

The Inhuman species that had, in fact, descended from humans themselves. Even stranger, they used to live on the Moon.

Apparently, Raina was an Inhuman as well. The curse had fallen – a phrase Grant had never thought he would so much as think in seriousness – before she had the chance to expose herself to this "Mist." But based on her lineage, she would have gotten a power that would put her in lower society anyway, and therefore came with Wolfe and Skye's mother to earth as a young teen, to try and discover another way of using the Terrigen Mist.

"Well, I am going to take this all under consideration," said Skye, standing up to leave the room.

"You mean you will think about it?" asked Wolfe curiously.

"About how you're asking me to sacrifice myself? Yeah, I'm gonna look into it," she told him, suddenly a lot more snippy than she had been speaking with him. Bastard deserved this tone more, Ward thought.

Skye put her hands on the table. "Look, I have no idea if you're telling me the truth or if this whole story has just been a ton of BS. So I'm going to do some research to verify what you're saying."

"Please try not to take too long," asked the man earnestly. "We don't have much time."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Skye.

"The ritual needs to be done on the date of your birth."

Skye raised an eyebrow. "My birthday? I just always celebrated in July… if you could call those celebrations. You know my real one?"

"Yes. It's June sixth."

Skye scowled, seeming to calculate. She was apparently not amused with her realization. "That's in two weeks."

"I know."

"So you want me to research everything you've told me, decide if I'm ok with letting myself die, and do this ritual thing in  _two weeks_?"

"Yes," he said, fairly regretful in tone. Maybe Wolfe was truly upset he thought she had to die, but Ward didn't see how that was possible. Though, if Grant was honest, he probably wasn't one to judge.

"Right," Skye told him with annoyance. "Well, we need some of this Terrigen Mist crap and I'm guessing the directions to your planet aren't just take a left at the sun and keep going until you hit the second star to the right, so it'll probably take longer than two weeks to get here anyhow."

"The Terrigen Mist is here, Skye. It's on earth."

"What?" she asked. "Where? Does SHIELD know about it?"

"No, SHIELD doesn't know about it." He sighed, as though having to explain all this was beginning to grate his nerves. "Terrigen Mist is created from Terrigen Crystals, which could be found on Earth's moon. A long time ago when they still resided here, Inhumans brought some to earth. There are a few that can be found in a place humans call the Blue Grotto, in Italy."

"Huh…" Skye chewed that over. "Well, thanks for the information. I'll get back to you on the whole killing myself thing,  _dad_."

Skye strode out of the room purposefully, before Wolfe could get in any sort of last word that he seemed to try and be stuttering out.

The team watched the screen of Wolfe just sitting there, still handcuffed to the table, until they heard Skye's footsteps approaching the comms room.

She walked in with arms crossed, stopping in front of the group who stared expectantly at her.

"Well," said Skye, "that sucked."

* * *

 

"You're honestly considering this?" exclaimed Coulson.

Skye shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean if he's telling the truth, how couldn't I? I'm one person and that's an entire species! We're not just talking saving the polar bears here; they're an intellectual, descended from humans, species!"

"Skye that date is in two weeks. Two weeks! You can't… do that," Simmons lamely finished. She had intended to add a "to us" at the end of the sentence, but how horrendously selfish would that have been? Skye deserved to be concerned about her life for herself.

"I'm not saying we just trust the guy and I go sacrifice myself at some alter he's picked out. He could just be a sick person, because this definitely seems farfetched. We need to look into it."

"I think you're missing the point," said Trip. "We're not really discussing whether it's the truth or not. We're more thinking about what  _you're_ going to do if it  _is_ the truth."

Skye held herself up taller, trying to look into his eyes. She wasn't able to hold the gaze.

"Well, then… you're getting your answer."

"Remember when I said nothing fazes you?" Coulson exclaimed. "It would be really nice if you could prove me wrong right now."

"Honestly Skye, you're scaring me," Jemma quietly admitted.

"You're saying  _none_  of you would consider this?" Skye asked with disbelief.

Ward stepped up from his stance against the back of the wall. He always seemed to try and be somewhat away from the group, which Simmons was both thankful for and thought he was acting correctly in doing so.

He walked up to her. "They're saying you're acting incredibly casual about a subject that should, honestly, probably have you in tears," Ward told her, a tad harshly. He most likely wasn't too happy about her decision making either.

Skye's eyes narrowed. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but I guess I'm not as weak as you figured, Ward."

"It's not weakness Skye," Coulson cut in. "It's just a human trait."

Coulson didn't seem to realize what he said until he already had, and Skye smiled smugly, but somehow without a trace a triumph.

"And there you have it folks, straight from the horse's mouth. That must be why I'm acting so apparently strange. Because if you all remember what I just spent like an hour talking to my  _alien_ father about, I'm not human," Skye spat, but her smug attitude faded quickly. "Look, it's not that I wouldn't be upset, or disappointed, or… terrified. I just don't see the point in dwelling on it." She sighed. "To me, if this is real, there's no question. I'm going to do it."

Ward made a noise somewhat akin to an angry growl. "They're not even dying! They're just not reproducing. Seems like a pretty stupid reason to sacrifice yourself when there wouldn't even be a body count."

It was a fairly weak argument, but Simmons didn't think Ward actually realized it.

"Um… it's  _saving an entire species_ ," Skye punctuated each word for him. "And you've killed way more people yourself than it takes to do the ritual to start their lives up again."

Coulson stepped up between the two, as their faces had gotten dangerously close. "Skye, I don't think it's hitting you how little time you'd actually have."

She was about to rebuttal, but Fitz' voice rang through first.

"Her birthday _is_  every year," he said. "So even if she really decided to do it, it wouldn't have to be in two weeks. She could do it next year, or the year after! As long as their species is… stable."

Skye nodded firmly. "Yeah, see! Thank you Fitz."

"That's not  _good_  news," Ward persisted, to which Skye raised her eyebrows. "Well, it's  _better_ news. But when people are told they have one or two years left to live, they're usually still pretty damn upset."

"I'm an agent of SHIELD. I could die at any time."

"You're not even a field agent!" Ward shouted.

"I was  _trying_  to be," she fumed, "before my SO decided to pack up and become a traitor!"

"Ok stop. We're just chasing our tails now," said Coulson, again coming between the two. "Let's focus on what we can do. May, check if we can get enough fuel to get to Italy."

" _Thank you_ ," Skye grumbled.

"I'll see if we can get in touch with any of our Asgardian friends," continued Coulson. "Maybe even Fury knows something. When Sif was here she mentioned a large amount of species to me, and I doubt something like this would be going on that they wouldn't know about."

The team nodded in agreement.

"And Skye?"

"Yes?" she asked, before noting his serious tone and cautiously adding, "Sir..."

"Try not to condemn yourself just yet."

She considered his words with a puzzled but thoughtful look, before finally nodding.

"Ok."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, lame ending. Bad chapter actually lol But there may some sort of thing resembling skyeward next chapter!


	18. Ward's Depth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward and Skye go diving.

"You know, I've actually been here before," Coulson chimed.

He was saying it to the one person who he hadn't already told: their boat driver. All the way to Italy, Coulson was talking about how he had been to the exact spot, right on top of it, and hadn’t realized there was anything alien the whole time he had.

The Blue Grotto in Capri was famous for the blue light that came from, what people thought, just strange reflections of sunlight. But if what Wolfe said held true, the real reason for the colors would be from the Terrigen Crystals.

Ward, Skye and Coulson wafted into the waters in the tiny boat. They'd actually come to the grotto on a speedboat, now anchored just a few feet away from the entrance. But apparently there was a very specific way you had to get inside the cave.

It was an extremely narrow entrance with the top of the water almost hitting the roof of the cave as you tried to go inside; so small boats would have to pull themselves through with a chain as the passengers laid back in them.

"Then you will know it is, eh, prettier during the day. Molta bella!" responded Fabio, the person currently captaining their small vessel. He was a cheery Italian man who spoke near perfect English, though broken with a thick accent. Ward could have talked to him in his native tongue, but didn't want to appear excessively cavalier to Coulson and Skye. "To want to come at night is… very strange."

Ward was skeptical when he learned that the grotto didn't light up at night. Wasn't that evidence that it truly was a reflection of the sun? But Wolfe insisted that the Terrigen Crystals reacted only to certain temperatures, so when it became colder at night, their lights would dim.

"I know how crowded it usually is. Though I do appreciate you taking us out here at this time."

Fabio waved his hands wildly as he spoke. "Oh no! I appreciate the extra money you were kind enough to pay, hehe. But we not discuss money now. Not when beauty awaits!"

Skye was beaming. It was a sight that made Ward's heart crumple in both happiness and devastation. It was amazing she could be so cheerful at a time like this.

Ward had a theory. It involved Skye being stuck between the fact that she only had two weeks to live and that this was all a hoax. With the hope that she may not die, but given the push to live her life to the fullest because she might, she was in a state of near denial and pure bliss that came from any experience she could get her hands on.

"Nice. I'm glad this mission is in Italy, I've always wanted to go to Capri," she had sung happily when Coulson had told her the destination.  _This mission._  As though they weren't going to go check if her days were numbered.

It was why she’d volunteered to be one of the ones to go under the water. Well that, and as they quickly realized, there weren't too many other choices.

May had been experienced in Scuba, but with a knee injury sustained while fighting Garrett swimming was off the menu for her. Similar problems arose with Coulson, that with recent injuries it wouldn't be wise for him to go in the water. Triplett just wasn't a very confident swimmer.

FitzSimmons of course didn't want to go in the water, due to recent events Ward tried not to remind himself of.

It was just another thing he kept locked away, including any thoughts on Garrett, Hydra, or what the specialist was going to do once the team finally had enough of him. The thoughts needed to remain untouched in a corner in his mind, compartmentalized. Just like when he was on any mission.

But for the diving, that just left Skye… and Ward.

Which had been an interesting discussion. Still, they decided it was for the best to not let the hacker go down there alone.

The BUS had wetsuits and goggles, though only one breathing tank. It was somewhat ransacked from when Garrett had it, leaving only bits and pieces in some areas. Needless to say, Skye got the oxygen tank.

Though it wasn't without another discussion. This one included his former SO and the condition he'd left the aircraft in. Ward had had to work hard trying to make sure his thoughts stayed on his current operation: to help Skye.

Fabio smiled as he took the chain when they neared the cave. "Ok! So now we all lean back. The tide is, eh, pretty high, so you must make sure your head is touching the bottom of the boat. Everybody knows everybody, so don't be afraid to get close!"

Coulson, who was just behind Fabio, looked back at Skye and Ward. He flashed Skye a reassuring smile, quickly dropping it as he gave Ward an almost cold glare.

Ward didn't really understand why until Skye had placed her head almost directly onto his chest, forcing him backwards as well. The familiar softness of her hair caught his skin for a moment and the feeling pricked at his memory. His first thoughts were good ones, but it then entered his mind that the last times he had even touched Skye were when he was securing her as a prisoner and while she was screaming from her nightmare.

This all crossed his mind rather quickly because as soon as he lay down as well, Skye was able to maneuver herself away so her head was just next to him. Clutching her oxygen tank and shimmying sideways to give Coulson's head more headroom, she stared at him with a cool indifference.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her, seeming to put her off. Maybe it sounded rude, but lately, any time he spoke to Skye appeared to get her in a bad mood.

"Just wondering if in all those trips you took around the world as a specialist, did you ever actually stop and think about where you were?" she asked. "Or what cool and most likely awesome things might be around you?"

"Of course I did," he told her, causing her eyebrows to shoot up. "I'd have to check the perimeters on any op I'd go on."

Skye gave an overdramatic roll of her eyes, glancing away with mild disappointment.

They were through the hole in a few seconds, in which Fabio told them they could come "up, up!" which they did. It was pitch black when they entered and Coulson immediately pulled out the waterproof flashlights they'd brought. A small corridor later and they were in a large orb of a room.

"This is the main area!" exclaimed Fabio. "The flashlight does not make it blue, so it is a, well, disappointing sight compared to the daytime."

"No, this is good," Coulson told him. "Thank you. How long can we stay?"

Fabio shrugged. "How long can you pay for? Haha! Take your time, I do not need sleep."

Coulson nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Skye?"

"Already on it, sir," she said, and not a moment later there was a loud splash.

Skye was in the water, goggles on and flashlight in one hand. She'd left the oxygen tank in the boat.

Ward turned sideways to see Coulson staring at him expectantly, so he hopped in after her.

"We'll do a preliminary search, determine if we need to bother with the oxygen or not," said Skye seriously, getting into mission mode. She looked at Ward. "Ready?"

"Ladies first."

He could have sworn he saw her give him a quaint half-smile, just before diving downward. He followed.

Skye dolphin-kicked her way down as far as she could go. They'd both donned flippers so they could swim faster, but the force of the water coming off of them made sure Ward stayed a few feet behind her as she swam.

When she reached the bottom, her eyes began scanning the area straight away. Ward joined her in the search. It wasn't too long before he noticed the strange rocks near the bottom, and his heart began slipping into his stomach. He really hoped to not find anything.

He motioned to Skye and they both moved towards the unusual lumps.

She swam up to them, caressing gently at first, but only for a moment before turning on the heat additive to her flash light. It only made the water slightly warming, so not to induce the actual "Terrigenesis", the process through which the Inhumans gained their powers. Fitz had installed them to make the crystals glow blue when the light shined on them.

The strange rocks immediately lit up with a turquoise hue, the source coming from underneath the lumps. When Ward moved closer he could see even more: something that appeared to be crystal underneath the coarse rock that covered it.

Skye began to pull on them. They didn't budge. When Ward noticed her small flinching in her attempts he realized she was trying to use her sewn hand. Simmons had put something on it so the water wouldn't irritate it, but pulling on rough stones couldn't be good for the injury. And was probably painful.

Ward gently moved her hand away. Despite the tightening in his chest as it reminded him he needed oxygen, Ward tried to pick up the stone himself. With a great tug he was able to retrieve one piece from the bunch. Skye then motioned upwards with her pointer finger, as her lungs were probably burning just as bad as his. He nodded and they began their assent.

When the two reached the surface, they burst through the threshold eagerly as they heaved the cave's air.

"Find anything?" asked Coulson, leaning over the side of the boat.

"Yes," Ward told him, still breathing heavily. "This."

The specialist opened his palm to inspect the little crystal. There was still rock coating the edge of it. It wasn't glowing anymore, but still definitely blue in color. He paddled over to Coulson to show him.

"So that's it?" panted Skye, looking at it over his shoulder. "That's the Terrigen thing?"

"Seems like it," Coulson said with a weight of disappointment, which Ward could share the feeling. Skye appeared… unfazed. Not surprising.

"You should take the tank," she said suddenly. "Since you have an easier time getting them out, you can stay down there while I'll go back and forth to put them on the boat."

Ward donned a confused face for a moment, remembering that they had agreed early on Skye would be the one to have it. She read his thoughts from the hesitation.

"This makes more sense," Skye said as she pranced around in the water, trying to stay above it with her treading. Her method was incredibly strange. Ward wondered briefly where or even when she'd learned to swim. Did they teach them at the orphanage?

"Listen to her, Ward," warned Coulson when he still didn't go for the oxygen, snapping him out of his thoughts and onto other ones.

Right, the conditions.

There were already simple rules that came with him staying on the team to help Skye, even with the tracking bracelet. But coming out into the field made sure they were clearly reiterated. Everyone on the team was to be treated as his superior. This meant following orders from all of them, even if it wasn't their area of expertise, which definitely wasn't something Ward was used to. But Coulson made it very quite evident Ward wouldn't have any second chances before being thrown back into a cell. He wasn't even sure if the man had meant back on the BUS or in some prison.

Skye's mouth twitched at a smug smile she tried to suppress, obviously finding her ability to be the boss of Ward amusing. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"Fine," he said, grabbing the tank out the boat. He quickly pulled it around himself and secured the mask to his face. It didn't take him very long in his opinion, but Skye began fidgeting with impatience.

"Well come on, Ghostbuster, we don't have all day," Skye said as she gestured towards the water. "Cause if you don't, then  _who we gonna call_?"

This time Ward did roll his eyes.

They spent the next few minutes mining, Skye taking a few crystals at a time back up to Coulson. He wasn't really sure how many they were supposed to retrieve. They'd discovered the complete bottom of the cave was covered with them, but he decided he was going to keep gathering until they told him to stop.

Skye had just waited for him to fish out a fourth one when she seemed at her capacity for holding her breath, taking it quickly and swimming up to the top. It was the first time Ward got a good look at her swimming.

Ward watched her breathlessly, despite having oxygen readily available. With the flashlight add-on shining at the crystals, the grotto had lit up with a dim shine of blue and the clean seawater was incredibly clear. The strange hue lit up all her curves and edges as she swam and he soon found himself thinking about feelings he was trying so hard to compartmentalize in his own mind since he'd been back with the team.

As he watched her, this girl so excited to be here and pushing aside all the circumstances that had led them to this place, he made a decision. Ward knew he had no right to think this way and he was aware she was in no way his and could never be, but he couldn't help but think it.

He wouldn't lose her.

* * *

 

Skye was ringing out her hair. The ponytail felt heavy on her head and she needed to dry out the wet mop as quickly as possible. She actually tended to get headaches if she let her thick hair drag her down for too long.

They were back on the speedboat. When Skye had gone down one last time to motion for Ward to come up, he seemed distracted. He still seemed distracted; his eyes would glaze over and she could tell he was deep in thought.

Weirdly, he would always settle his sightless gaze on her.

Coulson was talking with Fabio in the front. When he saw how much the grotto was glowing and what they were bringing up, the man got curious and stuttered quite a bit in his confusion. But a few extra euros quieted him.

The men leaving Skye alone gave her time to think, something she'd rather not waste her remaining days doing. She shook her head. See, that was  _exactly_  why she didn't want to be thinking.

She got up abruptly and plopped herself down next to Ward. With hands in his lap, he seemed to be fairly deep in thought as well.

"I'm tired of hating you," she declared, trying to look into his eyes to keep up her determined attitude, "even though you still deserve it."

She needed to get this over with. May had told her to talk with Ward a bit ago and she still hadn't done it. Now Skye needed to make sure she could have the chat while she had the chance.

"I know I do," Ward breathed. His regretful tone made her own soften.

"Why'd you do it, Ward?" she asked, unsuccessfully trying to keep the pain she felt from hitting her voice.

He sighed. "I did it for Garrett. Completely. I swear I have no allegiance towards Hydra. And I know that may seem hard to believe because I killed Garrett but… he wasn't the same. He would never be the same. It just had to happen."

"I believe you," Skye said softly, only just realizing her words to be the truth as they left her mouth. "It's obvious Garrett had a hold on you. But you still killed people, for Hydra or for Garrett, and that's on you," she told him firmly, watching his eyes flicker for a moment before they softened again.

"I know. I'm not trying to pass the blame on my actions. I'm just trying to let you understand for the future."

Skye nodded quickly. "No, I get all that. Hydra or not, I get that you were undercover. I get that you had to come on Coulson's team. A spy on a mission. But being my SO? Being our friend? Was any of it… real?"

Ward took a moment, letting his breath run passed his lips in a deep exhale. "I agreed to be your SO because you were an unknown variable. It was smart, tactically."

Skye expected this. She didn't like it, but she expected it.

"And May?" she asked.

"As a primary threat I thought I could… distract her."

"Wow. So no feelings for her at all?"

"I never had feelings for her." He shook his head suddenly, seeming to think of a rephrase. "What I mean is, I never even  _claimed_  to have feelings for her. Same with her to me." He paused, as if deciding whether or not to say anything else. "That was always you. But you knew that."

"Did I?" she asked him curiously.

"Yes. I told you when…" he faltered. Skye knew why.

"When you were interrogating me," she finished for him, nodding her head as the memories began swimming in to fill it. She felt her anger begin to boil. "You professed your  _true_ feelings for me right after you handcuffed me to a staircase, and right before you brought Deathlok down to torture information out of me."

"Yes," Ward agreed, readily accepting the harsh truths. "I never wanted it to go that far. I honestly believed I could get you to talk to me. When you wouldn't, I let the situation get out of hand."

"What would you have done?" Skye snapped, eyes squinted and truly curious. "If Mike had really hurt me, would you have tried to stop it? Or would you really have just… watched?" she added, unable to hide her repulsion.

"I…  _hope_  I would have stopped it. But Garrett would have... Jesus, I don't know. I don't. I honestly don't know what I would have done." He put his head in his hands, looking more vulnerable than Skye thought she'd ever seen him as one hand ran frantically this his hair. "God, I am so,  _so_ sorry Skye."

Skye's interest piqued, quieting the rage in her stomach that was building from bringing up these experiences. She'd never heard him apologize like that before.

The girl stared, mouth slightly ajar but with no words coming out at the very desperate man in front of her. She couldn't find the words to say, so he continued.

"All I care about is you, nothing else. You are honestly the _only_  reason I'm still here," he told her. "I just want to find a way to help you."

He seemed to add that part, quieting Skye's curiosities that he may be there for her in other ways. Non-platonic ways. Which he still obviously was, or at least it was obvious the emotions were there, but it was clear he was not expecting requited feelings.

"That's… that's pretty heavy Ward."

"I know how it sounds. But it's the truth," Ward told her, and it sounded so real. She did believe him.

Skye grinned. Soon the smile met her eyes and she opened her mouth until she was giggling. Not quite a hysterical laugh, but the situation was just so amusing.

"What?" asked Ward, sounding curious and perhaps slightly concerned.

"It's just that, I guess we're finally getting around to that honest conversation," Skye chuckled, just before her humor quieted down. She shook her head slightly. "I will just never be able to tell, no matter how much I want to or really do believe it, that what you're ever saying is the truth."

"I understand you can never trust me again," Ward restated, nodding gloomily. "And I know I don't deserve it, or should even ask for it, I sure as  _hell_ don't expect it but…" he sighed. "Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me?"

Skye clicked her heals together and made sure to look anywhere but his eyes. The wet suit sloshed as it made contact.

"I don't know," she said earnestly, before attempting to give him a small smile of reassurance. "But I'm trying."

It grew quiet again. Skye decided she'd rather be alone and think then sit awkwardly next to someone and think, if they both were just going to stay in their own heads. She got up to walk back to her seat. Before she could take a step, Ward grabbed her wrist and she turned around to catch his gaze.

"Please don't die, Skye."

It caught her off guard; the sudden change of subject as she felt her mouth drop open.

Why did he even have to bring that up? That's exactly what she was trying to avoid by talking to him. They were having a pretty emotionally charged conversation anyway and he had to go begging for her not to save a species.

Skye stared directly at his face, scowling. "I guess I'm just seeing the big picture here, Ward. You've never been too good at that, have you?"

His face crumpled from pleading to distraught with the sentence. Skye worried whether she’d just opened up floodgates with the reminder of how his former SO treated him, despite just having talked about the man. Maybe he was somehow avoiding the actual thought behind what he'd lost even as they’d discussed it.

Because she could see it now as she stared in his seemingly depthless eyes: the begging to her had been a plea, made by a broken man with nothing left. He must have been truthful for not being Hydra. Because if he were Hydra, he'd at least have something. His current state was nothing less than what he deserved, but she couldn't help but realize his life was over. He'd followed a man that manipulated him into the fray only to destroy his own savior in the end. He betrayed everyone. SHIELD, Hydra. There was no one left to pick him up.

The only thing he was clinging to now was her.

"I'm sorry. That was… harsh," she said as the realization hit her. As his stupid puppy-dog pout bore into her, making it clear the robot did indeed have feelings. "But I'm going to do what I think is right."

He took a deep breath, trying to hide what was incredibly obvious disappointment in his hurt eyes, just before opening his mouth to say something.

"And we are back!" announced Fabio.

Ward released her wrist and she glanced up to the front eagerly, seeing Fabio pulling the boat in and Coulson brushing off his suit as he stood up. The speedboat quieted down as Fabio drove it into the dock to park it.

"It is good, so we can all go to sleep, yes?" asked Fabio.

"Si," said Coulson. "Grazie mille, Fabio."

"Prego!" he exclaimed as he pulled the boat in, gesturing them to get off the ramp. They said goodbye to the man and filed off the boat in a perfunctory manner.

Skye stared at the ground, reeling as she realized she couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going on in Ward's mind and how much that man had twisted him. Ward had  _killed_  Garrett, the one person he thought of as his real family. What was more, he'd done it to protect her.

Well, boo-hoo for him. She was going to do this sacrifice if she had to. Because, when she really thought about it, she deserved to feel more down on the situation than someone she didn't even know if she could forgive did, even if she had lingering feelings for him.

She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and turned her head to meet Coulson's concerned face. He must have noticed her deep-in-thought stare.

"Hey, we still have some things we have to figure out," Coulson assured her, probably assuming she was letting the fact that they’d found the crystals get to her. "And there is no way you are doing that in two weeks. We'll tell Wolfe when we get back to the BUS that, if you truly decide you want to do it, it won't be this year."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm not letting a valuable agent go any sooner than I have to," he told her, before quietly adding, "I'm not going to let  _you_ go any sooner than I have to."

Skye hated these people. She loved them and she hated them. To go out with a purpose would have been such an easy decision just a couple years earlier. She'd had nothing and no one. Not a bloodline or even a last name.

Now she had a family. And she  _so_ wasn't thinking about Wolfe.

Despite how hard she tried to hide it, to fight it, she couldn't imagine willingly leaving them behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Let me know!
> 
> Next up: Maybe some action? Maybe some FitzSimmons? We'll seeeeee!


	19. Simmons' Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simmons realizes that there may be something very wrong with Fitz.

Simmons was in a rather paranoid state.

She didn't like the fact that Skye's father was on the BUS. He had kidnapped and deceived Skye, and god knew what percentage of the rest of his story was the truth. It made her uneasy to think that he had been her teammate, for however short of a time. She’d seen him as a good man and had trusted him.

Then there was the _other_  person who'd kidnapped Skye, but he'd been residing on the BUS for a few days now. Jemma was getting used to having Ward around, sort of. Well, however much one could get used to a person who had thrown one off a plane.

She often thought about how ironic it was that he'd once saved her from jumping out of one, too. But Ward was someone she was willing to put up if he was deemed helpful, though it didn't mean she'd have to put up with him from close proximity.

Then of course there was the fact that Skye might decide to sacrifice herself to an alien species that she knew, honestly, nothing about. In actuality, Skye had already made the decision. Now it was just a matter of finding the facts and determining it to be true.

Lastly, there was Fitz.

There was awkwardness between them now that far passed the strange behavior Fitz had been exhibiting when he'd first returned. The last time they had spoken about a relationship they had been interrupted by the horrific screams brought on by Skye's nightmare. And while they had managed to get that sorted, they’d never picked the conversation back up. So now, though it may not help their troubles, Jemma decided she could not leave him hanging any longer. After all, it was the one problem that she could at least have some semblance of control over.

Walking into the lab, Simmons saw Fitz muttering to himself and prancing around the holotable excitedly as he worked on-

"Particle Dissembler," he informed her as she walked in. "It's should help us determine what the Terrigen Crystals’ actual purpose is. Decide if Wolfe's telling the truth."

"That's brilliant, Fitz," Simmons told him half-heartedly.

He was busy. He was making something to help Skye. Maybe she shouldn't do this now…

Simmons began to walk out the way she came.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She spun around guiltily.

"What do you mean?"

The fake smile plastered on her face was near painful.

"I mean you just walked into the lab and now you're leaving. What'd you do that for? Did you need something?"

"I, um… there was just something I wanted to discuss with you. But I can see your busy, I'll just come back later-"

"No," Fitz said, eager and concerned as he set down his tools and rushed to her side. "What did you want to say?"

It took her a moment before she could get the words out. His face held far more excitement than she had pictured earlier while she’d practiced telling him.

"I wanted to talk about us," she told him sheepishly. "Or possibly, more accurately… lack thereof."

Fitz small smile of hope faded somewhat. "Oh."

"Though obviously just romantically! Of course there's still an 'us'. We're still FitzSimmons," she assured him lightheartedly, but his emotion did not reflect hers. To be honest, Jemma wasn't sure what he was thinking. She cleared her throat and continued. "Look, Fitz, it's not that I haven't thought about it. I have. And it's been a really hard thought process but I just don't think now is the best time to start a relationship." She sighed. "I mean it's perhaps possible in the future, but you seemed to want a clear answer, so I thought it best to give you one."

She expected him to look dejected. Run away. She would surely do that. It wasn't easy being rejected.

Instead, his smile returned.

"Oh, come on Jemma. When is it ever going to be a good time to start a relationship around here?" Fitz took her hands in his, beginning to rub his thumbs over the top of them. "We're constantly being attacked by various obstacles. How's right now different from any other?"

Jemma scoffed. "Perhaps because the government organization we used to work for was completely shut down and labeled a terrorist organization just a couple weeks ago, and more currently, our best friend is lined up to take place in a near preposterous alien sacrifice!"

"Ah, right," he said in a manner that gave off the impression that he'd  _actually_  forgotten. "I mean, I know. I just don't see things improving anytime soon," he tried to reason with her. "Things are always going to be complicated."

"Then maybe it will never be the right time to start something. With anyone."

Fitz looked truly upset by her saying that. "No no no, you don't mean that, Jemma! You don't really want to be alone your whole life, do you?"

She shifted her stance awkwardly. Fitz was still holding on to her hands and she was only too aware of the heat from his fingers. "Well… if the right person at the right time never comes along, I don't think I'd absolutely mind it terribly… but no, I suppose I don't  _want_ to be alone. Who does?"

"No one! Certainly not me." He cocked his head sideways, still smiling. "So that works out perfect."

"What does?" she asked.

"That the right person at the right time is standing right in front of you."

And then he kissed her. Again. Only this time Simmons was so used to the sudden lip locks, she wasn't too stunned to pull away right as it happened. It was still a completely unexpected attack.

"Fitz! What on earth are you doing? I've  _literally_  just finished telling you it wasn't the right time."

"You just need persuasion!" Fitz insisted.

Simmons took two large steps away from him. "Persua… Are you being serious, Fitz? This is the third time you've done this, and I'm obviously  _not_ being persuaded, as you put it. The first time: yes it was wonderful and I accepted it though now I really wish I hadn't because it's clearly given you the wrong idea. So let me be clear with you now: I. Don't. Want. This."

God, this was the most awkward experience of Jemma's life. And with Fitz, no less! She really wished he had just taken what she’d said at first and gone somewhere to curl up and mourn his hopes. She never expected him to react like this. What would it be like to work with him later…

But it wasn't until his smile turned harsh and he took calculated, deliberate steps towards her to the point that she'd backed into the holotable, that she realized something was terribly wrong.

She realized something had been wrong for quite a long time.

"You can stop lying to yourself, Simmons," he told her in a low tone. "I already know you do."

Fitz wasn't doing anything but staring now, he was just very close to her. Close enough that his breath moved the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of Jemma's bun as they wavered in front of her face, and she looked passed the pieces to search his eyes. He seemed to be waiting for her to make the next move. In case he didn't like what it was, as she assumed he wouldn't, her hands searched for some semblance of a weapon behind her back.

"Something wrong here?" Triplett asked, walking into the lab with crossed arms. Fitz spun around quickly, running a hand through his hair stressfully as he stepped away. Jemma let go of a breath she'd been holding as her hands braced the table.

"Everything's fine, if you didn't have to come interrupting," snapped Fitz. "Why don't you ever just mind your own business,  _Agent Triplett_?"

"Whoa," said Trip, holding out his hands to pacify the angry Scot. "Didn't mean to cause an upset. I just came down here to tell you guys that Coulson and them were heading back, and they found the alien crystals Wolfe was talking about. So I guess he's legit."

Simmons could barely process what Triplett was saying. Her mind was still reeling, still in shock. She had felt threatened by her  _best friend_ , or had she been overthinking it?

No. He had definitely been posing a threat to her.

"Well, thank you for the information," said Fitz in a tone that indicated he didn't really feel any gratitude at all. "Now if you could just get out of  _our_  lab, that would be fantastic. So go on, shoo."

Triplett squinted his eyes in puzzlement. "You sure everything's alright…?"

"Yeah, of course it is."

"No," said Jemma firmly, moving gingerly away from Fitz and decidedly more near the field agent. "Fitz has been acting strangely. I… I don't know what it is but… we need to run some tests. He's different."

"What?" Fitz squeaked. "No I'm not. Simmons, stop making stuff up."

"I'm not!" she insisted, turning back to Trip. "He's been different since we found him in Costa Rica, but lately it's been more prominent."

Trip's eyebrows scrunched up, scrutinizing. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" protested Fitz.

"Fitz has just been very…  _insistent_  about a relationship between us. Romantically."

The field agent's eyes widened as he rounded on the engineer. "What the  _hell_ , man? What have you been doing?"

Triplett towered over him but Leo looked up brazenly. Just another action that was somewhat un-Fitzly. Simmons ran to separate the two men and forced herself between them with her hands.

"No, no, I honestly don't think it's his fault!" exclaimed Jemma. "It has to do with the way he was brought back. It has to. That's when the changes started. They did something to him, or perhaps there's a chemical… I don't know what it is. But if it's anyone's fault it's mine. I should have looked into this earlier."

"Nothing is wrong with me, Simmons!" shouted Fitz. "Honestly. You're not going to do any bloody tests!"

"They should have been done days ago, Fitz. This has to happen!" she exclaimed.

"No, it doesn't and it's not going to," Fitz said, striding towards the exit to the lab but Triplett stepped in his way. He reminded her of a pub door supervisor as he crossed his arms to stop Fitz leaving.

"Yes it is," Triplett said in a voice that was not meant to be argued with.

"You know, just because you're a bit larger and stronger than me does not give you the right to boss me about."

"You're right. The fact that you're acting  _crazy_  gives me the right," Trip told him.

Fitz scoffed. "I'm not acting crazy. You two are the ones acting crazy!" he exclaimed, raising an accusing finger at them.

"Whoa now, who's crazy?"

They turned to see Skye entering the room with crossed arms and skeptical curiosity etched on her face. Ward followed close behind her. Their clothes seemed to be damp in certain places, leading Simmons to believe they still had their wetsuits on underneath.

"Them!" Fitz pointed again. "They won't let me leave the lab."

"Fitz, you're not acting yourself," Simmons explained. "You may not be able to tell, but trust us, we're your friends."

"So I'm not acting like myself because I want to be with you? Is that it? It's just absurd that poor little Fitz wants to date the great Jemma Simmons?"

Simmons bit her lip. Why did he have to talk like this? Why did he have to do it with  _everyone_ here? She was half tempted to just let him leave, but she knew it wouldn't be good for him. If the symptoms were progressing, they needed to find out what was wrong right now.

"Wow," said Skye slowly. Awkwardly. "Did we come at a bad time? I think we came at a bad time. I'm just gonna, you know, back out the way I came. Guys, shall we…?"

"I ain't leaving," said Trip firmly. "Ward should stay too."

"Why?" said Skye incredulously, as if she weren't just waltzing around with the Hydra agent herself. Which, in the back of her mind, Simmons couldn't believe her friend was doing. Though there were obviously other problems taking precedent before that.

But wasn't that what had gotten her into this situation in the first place? Pushing aside Fitz' problem? Still, if Simmons was truthful with herself, whom Skye decided to spend her time with wasn't exactly the same type of issue.

"Because I may need help getting Fitz to do whatever Simmons needs for testing him," Triplett explained.

Skye frowned, her puzzled expression directing a question at Jemma. She sighed.

"We found him in the jungle fully healed. Given what his state had been, that should not have been even possible. We need to know what happened. It may be doing something to him, but I haven't even begun trying to figure out what they did and I should have been. It's imperative we do it now."

"No, you aren't," Fitz insisted yet again.

"And as you can see, boy's proving uncooperative," said Trip.

"Bloody hell! Do you ever shut up?" Fitz snapped. Simmons saw Skye flinch at the raised voice. Jemma might have done the same thing actually, but she was too busy deciding if he needed to be sedated to notice. "I'm fine! I'm walking, talking, perfectly healthy. In fact, I was  _trying_ to work on something productive to help Skye before everyone had to start filing in here."

"The only reason we're filing in here is because you can't get your damn head on straight!" Triplett shouted with agitation.

That seemed to be the breaking point for Fitz. He didn't say anything, though with a good enough running start he rammed into Triplett with both hands and caused the man to stumble backwards. But the field agent was trained and was steady on his feet in but a moment, ready to grab at Fitz.

"Oh, bloody get off," Fitz said dismissively, waving his hands away from Trip as he stepped to the side. He seemed to realize how ridiculous the action had been to stop fighting the man that was clearly bigger than him, but the fact that he'd done anything in the first place was a cause of great concern. Even if Triplett should have known better than to antagonize someone who was clearly having a brain damage problem, or otherwise.

"I'm going to get Coulson," Skye stated abruptly, striding out of the room.

Ward's gaze shifted tentatively between the door and everyone in the lab, seeming hesitant about what to do for a moment. In the end he decided to follow Skye out of the room and up the stairs.

Jemma almost wished he hadn't. Not because she thought Triplett couldn't handle Fitz - quite honestly, Skye could probably take down Fitz - but she didn't like it just being the three of them in there.

There was a distinct absence of sound in the lab for a moment as Fitz glared at Trip. He obviously was blaming the man more than he was blaming her at the moment, and Jemma couldn't help but wonder if it was because he'd felt confident he could overpower her if Triplett hadn't intervened.

God, how had she not noticed this sooner?

Of course she  _had_ noticed; she just hadn't done anything about it. She should have been more proactive about the matter and not merely continued on with other issues. Even as pressing as said other issues had been.

Jemma was just attempting to think of some words, _any_ words, to say that would end the dreadful silence, when all of a sudden it was ended for them. A distinct thud and grunt came from out in the hallway.

"Ward? Ward!" they heard Skye's panicked voice.

All three of those who were in the lab shared a look just before Simmons and Triplett ran to the doors. They had to stop before they got out to avoid a collision as Skye cannoned towards them in a panic. The disheveled girl panted in the doorway, her eyes holding an undeniably large amount of fear.

"Skye, what just happened?" Simmons hurriedly asked.

"He…" she shook her head quickly, as if clearing it. "There's no time, we've just got to move. Everybody run! Right now, get out of this room. Get off the plane!"

"Where's the threat?" asked Triplett as he reached for his gun holster.

Skye immediately began frantically shaking her head. "No! We can't shoot him… but… Fitz! Where's the stuff you used, that electrode stuff- urg! No, we just need to get off the BUS!"

She started shoving Jemma harshly so that she stumbled through the lab doors, utterly confused. Triplett followed close behind. In fact, he passed her up to open the ramp to the cargo bay. Skye then strode out of the lab, twitching with anxiety and panic as they waited for the ramp to lower down.

"Skye, where's Ward?" Simmons asked.

Skye whipped her head around to look at her with dismay, a "deer in the headlights" feel to her stare. She shook her head in upset.

"There's nothing we can do. We can't fight him, so we just have to-"

That when the world shifted.

Jemma felt herself slam up against the cargo bay's wall as though the plane had shifted ninety degrees. A sudden move she perhaps could have thought was caused by turbulence or evasive flying.

But the plane wasn't moving.

She fell to the ground in an avalanche of items; parachutes and whatever else had been hanging in the room making the trip with her.

God it hurt… the side that she'd hit was in absolute agony. She just barely registered Triplett's legs intermingling with her own. At least, she thought they were Triplett's legs.

Though her eyes were proving decidedly difficult to open, she managed to squint just enough to see Skye's boots running over to her, clacking along the ground as she scurried.

"No, no, no. Simmons! Oh, god… Trip. Trip are you awake? Come on, Jemma, stay with me. Don't close your eyes."

Skye's concerned voice rang through as Jemma felt the items being lifted off of her one by one. With each one came a rush of pain quickly followed by relief, as they were no longer pressing her body into the ground.

Suddenly it stopped. There was still a menagerie of items on her, but no one was pulling them off of her anymore. Skye. Skye wasn't pulling them off anymore. It had been Skye, hadn't it?

Simmons realized her eyes had been closed for a while.

She could barely make out Skye's grunts, perhaps a whispered plea, before she blacked out completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay plot is coming back!


	20. Coulson's Revulsion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graviton shows up to help out Wolfe.

Coulson didn't want to stay in the interrogation room any longer than he had to. He was just going to go in, inform the prisoner that Skye would in fact  _not_  be doing the ritual in two weeks, and slip out.

He normally wouldn't even bother telling Wolfe the information. Coulson didn't really care if he'd had reasons behind his actions. He had put Skye through hell, and frankly, the logic behind his doing it was misguided and unneeded. But Skye had been insistent that if she wasn't going to do it this year he had the right to know. Still, Phil didn't want the girl to have to see the man anymore than she had to. So he asserted he'd do what she'd requested.

Two weeks was just not enough time. Not for Skye. Not after what they'd done to save her… she was too important to just throw her life away.

A year wasn't a long amount of life to live either, but it was better. It was enough to give her what she wanted. _Whatever_ she wanted. Things that she couldn't have in the beginning of her life. Because for how amazing of a person Skye was, she did not deserve the childhood that had been thrust upon her, even if it had come to light that it had been for her own good.

Besides, two weeks wasn't even long enough to look into his resources. Their next contact would definitely be Elliot Randolph, but he'd been cut off from Asgard for over a thousand years. Hopefully he'd be able to show them some way to contact his home world or get the information another way, but who knew how long that would take? Coulson needed time to get in contact with people to verify the facts, and there was no way Skye would go near some sacrifice ritual a moment before. Not if Coulson had a damn thing to say about it.

He opened the Cage door and strode in purposefully, not even bothering to shut it as this was going to be such a short visit. Wolfe was in handcuffs anyway.

The man sighed the moment Coulson walked in, before he even bothered to straighten himself up at the table.

"I can see you've found the crystals," Wolfe said, sounding dejected.

"Can you?" asked Coulson.

"Yeah. You do look pretty unhappy," he observed calmly. "You were hoping I was lying and there wouldn't be anything there. Trust me, Agent Coulson, I would _love_ to be making this all up. I would love to bring my daughter home so she could live out what should remain of her life happily, but it just can't be."

"Skye's not going anywhere with you, whether you're telling the truth or not." Coulson placed both hands on the table, leaning in dangerously. He didn't appreciate the other man speaking first in an attempt to gain the upper hand in the conversation. "She's not doing this sacrifice in two weeks."

Wolfe's brow furrowed. "She's refusing?"

"Of course not. This is just the type of thing that Skye would throw her life on the line for. Even despite what you've done to her, because that's the kind of person she is," Coulson ranted, not missing Wolfe's roll of the eyes when he mentioned his activities with Skye. Obviously he didn't think of them as anything too bad. Maybe where he was from they weren't, but here such mistrust was near unforgiveable. "But I need to speak with some contacts and confirm what's going on at your home planet to be the truth. Skye has agreed to do the ritual next year."

Wolfe scowled. "She can't do that."

Coulson had nearly laughed. Did this guy honestly think he had any control over the situation?

"And why not?"

Wolfe leaned in, his handcuffs clattering against the metal table. "My people's numbers are growing smaller every day. Every year that passes is another amount of women who grow past the age to bear children. Skye needs to do this  _now_."

Coulson scoffed.

"Do you even realize what you're saying? You're asking your daughter to willingly give up her life with days notice!"

"It could have been sooner had SHIELD not intervened."

"It could have been sooner if you didn't try to deceive her!" shouted Coulson, slamming his hands on the table. Wolfe didn't even flinch. Merely stared at him, strangely curious.

"This is really the decision you've come to?" he asked. "That  _Skye_ has come to?"

"Yes, it is. And since you can't do anything to change the matter, I suggest you try to come to terms with it and the fact that you're going to be locked up for the next year in whatever remaining SHIELD holding facility we can find."

Wolfe clicked his tongue. A strange gesture in his current state, almost in mockery, and Coulson didn't like the meaning behind it.

"You know, I really don't think I will."

Phil suddenly wished he'd shut the door after all.

"You have no choice," Coulson told him strongly, despite a strange nausea creeping in his nerves from Wolfe's words.

Wolfe laughed. Coulson had known this man for a good while, and he had always been a light-hearted guy, but this laugh held no true humor or cheeriness.

"Oh, I think you'll find I do. "

And with the decidedly cold smile Wolfe flashed him came a crash and screaming from downstairs. Coulson's head whipped around with the sound, but it was far away. He turned back to Wolfe.

"What did you do?" he growled dangerously, but Wolfe seemed unfazed.

"Oh I just called a friend," he said simply. "I think you may know him. He's a doctor. Or, perhaps it's more accurate to say he _was_."

Coulson's eyes grew wide as he understood the meaning behind the words. Immediately he bolted out of the room and into the hall.

Right into May.

They collided only slightly, even though she'd been running rather fast through the corridor. She must have heard the commotion from the cockpit.

"What's going on?" she asked him frantically.

"Hall. Hall's here."

Coulson actually watched the shock grace May's face, before they heard a wrangled, angry, plea.

"No! I have to help them-"

Skye was cut off into a strangled grunt and fear jolted through Coulson as to what could have caused it. It was still far off, seeming to come from the cargo hold. The two agents ran down the hall with as much speed as they could muster, but they didn't get very far before Graviton appeared in their path.

He pushed them both out of the way with a flick of his wrist, slamming the seasoned agents into the wall. It wasn't too bad, just as if someone had shoved them to the side. But they were definitely sidetracked.

As they scrambled to get back on their feet, the familiar pressure that Garrett had used on them in Disney World slammed onto Coulson's back. He watched as May cried out and crumpled as well.

"That has  _got_  to be considered cheating," Coulson complained from the ground, and despite the situation May still had to roll her eyes.

Hall moved his hand again, followed by the distinct sound of metal snapping. Wolfe then came striding out of the Cage not a moment later as he rubbed his wrists with relish to be free of the chains. The smugness of victory played obviously on his face.

"Ah, good. Thanks. That was getting tiresome," Wolfe said happily and rather casually. "Now, where's my daughter?"

Graviton looked behind himself, waving his hand as though beckoning someone to come forward. She did, but it was certainly not willingly. The sight made Coulson's stomach do summersaults.

Skye was eerily floating, upright and stiff as a board into the BUS's living area. Her breathing was erratic, but with arms pinned at her sides and chin posed high, she didn't seem to be in charge of her body's actions at all. It looked as though she wasn't even able to speak.

"Skye!" shouted Coulson desperately as he felt May struggle harder beside himself. "Don't touch her. You are  _not_  taking her!"

Wolfe knelt to sit on one knee, bringing his face down so that he could look Coulson in the eye. "Why, are you going to stop me?" he pouted. Phil struggled as hard as he could against the pressure, though he knew it was in vain. The hold was too strong.

The alien glanced over at May, who seemed just as unsuccessful with her attempts to get up. "Or perhaps you, silent but deadly? Don't talk much, but I know what you're thinking. You'd  _love_  to rip me apart right now."

"Honestly," she forced out, "yes."

Wolfe chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint, Agent May," he taunted as he stepped over Coulson and nearer to Skye. "But there's only one girl here I'm concerned with."

He brought a finger up to gently caress Skye's cheek. Frozen in midair, Skye couldn't do anything but close her eyes in protest. Though she quickly whipped them back open. Maybe she thought it was braver.

"You're all in luck though," Wolfe announced. "I'm not here to take my daughter just yet. You see the decision still has to be hers to make."

 _Thank god,_  thought Coulson, but he knew it would be ridiculously naive to think they were out of the woods already.

Wolfe was still lightly drawing on Skye's cheek when he suddenly gripped her chin, not very tight, just enough to make sure she was looking into his eyes.

"And you will make the right one. I thought you were brave, resourceful. You should have done this right when I tried to offer you honor, but if you're too cowardly to accept your fate you are no daughter of mine," he told her harshly, before whipping her head out of his grasp. He moved to the center of the room.

"If you don't, I'm afraid my friend here will start destroying cities," Wolfe told them all. "Rome seems like a good place to start, huh?"

"I thought it may be interesting to sink Venice," said Graviton casually.

Wolfe shrugged. "It's still up for debate."

"You're the coward!" shouted Coulson in fury and frustration, cheek still pressed into the ground. "Scaring an innocent woman into giving up her life by threatening others. It's sick!"

"It's necessary," he said simply, as if that ended the argument. He walked back up to the floating girl and spoke in a voice much gentler than the one he'd been using.

"Now kiddo, I'm going to give you five days to make this decision. After that, we're going to take down a city a day." His face turned dark. "And if you don't give yourself up before June sixth, well, I'm afraid this world will just have to burn."

Despite Skye's limited motion, her eyes still managed to widen with the last statement.

"We'll be waiting at the Roman Colosseum." Wolfe took Skye's unmoving hand, caressing it gently. He'd chosen the hurt one. Phil had a hard time trying to comprehend why he would do that. Maybe to point out her vulnerability further? "I know you'll make the right decision sweetheart. Get you affairs in order and then… come find your family. It's the right thing to do."

Coulson was disturbed. The whole situation was disturbing. A father holding his daughter against her will and forcing her to kill herself while still trying to trick her with family sentiment. He couldn't imagine how Skye was feeling through all this.

Wolfe gestured to Graviton, who waved his own hand in response.

Skye came crashing down to land next to Coulson, her nose all but touching his. She was so close he now could see the tears she was refusing to shed, hiding like children from monsters in the corners of her eyes. At first they locked eyes, but she quickly glanced away to try and glimpse her father.

"By the way," Wolfe said cheerily as he crouched over Coulson and Skye's heads, "Thank you so much for fishing out the Terrigen Crystals for me. Very thoughtful of you."

 _Damn it._  They'd played right into his hands. Wolfe probably could have procured the crystals himself, but it didn't stop Coulson from feeling incredibly foolish.

"And, as a gift of good will, I will leave all your team members alive. I don't see why there should be bloodshed unless it's necessary, my dear daughter."

Coulson watched as Skye's face screwed up in shivering anger, her mouth popping open. But if she was going to say something it died in the girl's throat. Her jaw shut along with her eyes.

"Arrivederci," Wolfe told them as they walked out, Graviton trailing just behind him. There was another, loud crash and they knew their attackers were gone.

All three of the people pinned to the ground let out a deep breath the moment their bodies were released from the horrible pressure. For a moment the room was full of nothing but their ragged wheezes.

"What… an ass," breathed May as she stood onto her knees. Coulson did the same, but Skye had merely lifted herself so that she was on all fours, still attempting to catch her breath.

"Skye?" Coulson asked, placing a hand on her back. She sat back on her haunches, eventually turning up her chin to him.

It was like the center of gravity was suddenly placed in the young woman's eyes, because he could feel the weight of the world in them. Shiny and wet, Skye's gaze bore into him with miserable despair. He'd never seen Skye look so hopeless. He'd never seen anyone look so desolate.

But as quickly as he saw the emotions they flitted away. As she buried her hardships within, she stood up with a great deal of determination and brushed herself off.

"The team's hurt," she told them firmly, attempting to wipe a sniffle discreetly from her face. "I think every one of them got knocked out."

"We’ll get a med kit," May stated, following Skye's lead to push her emotions to the side as the older agent began leading the group down the stairs with Coulson and Skye trailing somberly behind. It was what needed to be done. It's what good agent would do. People were still in peril so feelings and other discussions had to come later.

Still, Coulson couldn't help but try and take Skye's hand to offer her what little comfort he had to give. The girl didn't even acknowledge the brush of his fingers. She only quickened her pace, trying to hide the pain that was too plain to miss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys keeping up? Let me know!


	21. Skye's Lament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Simmons and Triplett recover from the attack, Skye recounts the information she's been handed.

Skye hadn't even seen Hall before Ward hit the ground.

She'd been too concerned with talking about Fitz and what he could have possibly said or done to make Simmons believe it was urgent to find out how he came back so suddenly. Which should have been fine. They were on the BUS after all: the giant plane that seemed to be impenetrable. It should have been ok to have her guard down.

Yeah. Not.

All of a sudden Ward had been cracked against the wall and before she'd had the chance to run back and see if he was ok, Graviton was already floating towards her.

She didn't know where he'd come from. Though her frazzled brain had been in shock, Skye knew she needed to get her team away. Their weapons, May, and Coulson had all been in an area passed where Graviton was coming closer. Even when Skye had tried to get to Ward, Hall had merely used his powers to drag Ward back towards the scientist. So she focused on whom she could.

But there just wasn't enough time, and Skye was forced to watch in horror as her three friends were flung into the wall like puppets on strings.

Ward and Fitz were completely ok, now. Fitz had already come to by the time Coulson, Skye and May had gotten down there to inspect them, while Ward woke up shortly afterwards. Both with massive headaches, sure, but they were fine.

Simmons and Triplett were a different story.

Fitz had limited medical knowledge, though he was able to get the two set up comfortably. The engineer explained that it would be highly unlikely for each of them to have been knocked out due to head injuries with absolutely no other visible side effects, leading him to believe Graviton may have had a power to do it.

This was actually good news. Despite how movies might make it appear, it was actually pretty common for people to die due to head injuries. And Simmons and Triplett had been asleep for over an hour.

"They were closer to him when it happened, so they probably got the blunt of it and that's why they've been unconscious longer than I had. Their scans seem pretty clear," he explained. "Though, based on Ward's scan, he  _did_  get knocked out by the force of the wall."

"Explains the massive pounding in my head…" Ward mumbled.

"What goes around comes around," May muttered.

It was a somewhat shocking comment from the woman, as she seemed to have been very accepting of Ward being there. But Skye could understand May's disdain. Despite the bracelet and obvious restrictions, Ward was slowly coming back into place on the team. Skye hadn't forgiven him because she honestly wasn't sure she knew how, but she did attempt to treat him like a normal person.

May had made it very clear to Skye that she'd definitely come to terms with him being around for convenience, but if she wanted to throw in a few choice words every once in a while, who was Skye to judge?

Coulson wasn't trying to be mean, or untrusting, but he asked, "Are you sure you can tell these things, Fitz? You aren't trained medically. This isn't your specialty."

"Technically it isn't Simmons' specialty either," he pointed out. "But yes, she taught me how to read the scans and I can probably use the equipment better than she can anyhow."

Skye squinted skeptically from her perch on one of the tables. "So you're saying they're going to be ok, right? Please tell me they're going to be ok."

"Yeah, perfectly fine, seems to me. They just need a little more time to wake up."

Fitz smiled reassuringly and it somehow both relieved and alarmed Skye. On the one hand, if Fitz was being so casual about the situation it must really mean that he was completely confident that they were going to be fine.

On the other, she also believed that no matter what trouble Simmons was in, complete recovery outlook in the future or not, Fitz would be concerned. And they  _had_ been talking about him being off and needing testing. Though Skye hadn't caught on to exactly why, other than the fact that he wanted to take Simmons out on a date. That kind of seemed like a good thing to a self-proclaimed FitzSimmons shipper such as Skye, but there must have been more to it.

He could have been emotionally compromised to a point that he wasn't caring or mentally damaged so that he was getting the facts wrong. Either would give reason to be concerned.

"Fitz… what they were saying earlier about you needing to be tested. I know you didn't want her to, but could the reason Simmons was insisting on it be affecting your thinking now?"

"What? No, we weren't talking about running any tests," laughed Fitz, as though the idea were ridiculous. The scientist began rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Though, that wouldn't be a bad idea. We still don't know the reasons of my recovery." He dropped his hand. "But not right now. Obviously we have other things to worry about."

"What do you mean you weren't talking about that? Triplett asked Ward to stay in the lab with him so he could help…" Skye trailed off, not wanting to upset him.

"So he could what, Skye?" asked Fitz.

Her lips pursed. "So he could help him make sure you did what you needed for the tests… I guess you weren't co-operating."

Fitz scoffed. "That's absurd! We haven't spoken about finding out what happened to me in a few days."

Ward finally stepped up, arms crossed and puzzlement on his face. "Yes, you were. We both heard you."

"Interesting," mumbled Coulson. "May, I think we should set a course for the hospital."

"What?" asked Fitz. "Why? I'm telling you they're fine!"

"It's just a precaution," Coulson assured him. "You've been through a head trauma as well and you're not trained in the medical field, Agent Fitz. We want to be sure they're ok."

May had just about cleared the door when they heard a moan.

"Mmm Fitz?" mumbled Simmons.

The startled engineer ran over to her bedside, taking hold of her hand gently. "I'm right here, Jemma."

Skye smiled.  _There_  was the Fitz she knew. And apparently, he'd been right.

Simmons brought her hand up to her head tentatively, eyes shut like she was in pain. She probably had a headache too. Still squinting, her eyes began weakly searching the room.

"Where's Skye? Is she alright?"

"Right here," Skye offered, waving her hand and stepping forward. "A…OK," she mumbled off half-heartedly. She wasn't ok. She was so many miles away from being at the halfway point truck stop to ok.

"Aw, damn. Who paid for drinks last night?" Triplett suddenly moaned, he too putting a hand up to his head. "They owe me an Advil or two."

"Welcome back to the living," said Skye warmly. She was happy to see them both up, at least a few of the nerves in stomach quieting down with the news of her friends' safety.

"Shit, send me back. This living world is too damn painful."

Skye somehow couldn't bring herself to laugh at Trip's joke, though she very much wanted to. Depression had been clinging onto her like a dead weight since the incident a couple hours ago, though she managed to give him a smile.

"What happened?" asked Simmons. "I don't remember…"

"Yeah, things are definitely foggy. Last thing I remember is May telling me that they were coming back from getting the crystals."

"Ah, I'll explain," offered Fitz. So Skye immediately stood up, discreetly heading out of the lab. At least, she thought it was discreet.

"You ok?" Ward asked her, holding on to her wrist lightly.

She gently pulled out of his grasp. "Yeah, I just… don't really need to hear this again."

"Do you want to talk?"

Once again, she attempted to bring up the sides of her mouth.

"No, I'm good. Thanks."

The hacker turned abruptly, hoping it was enough of a signal of asking him not to follow her and left before Fitz could really get into the story.

Skye didn't need to hear about how her father, the only family by blood she knew of, was threatening millions of people if she didn't come to him. If she didn't cut her life short in just a few days. She didn't need to hear how she'd but stuck, helpless and powerless to move while he’d explained his massive disappointment in her.

God, she'd been so  _scared._

She wasn't even sure why. She had been resolved that she might have to die soon a few days ago, and while a year was a lot longer she knew it was still going to happen. The odds of finding proof against it after recovering the Terrigen Crystals just seemed… unlikely.

But they’d had her. They’d had her and she couldn't move and couldn't speak. They could have done anything to her and she wouldn't have been able to even react, let alone try and make a signature sarcastic remark. She'd been so completely helpless in front of Coulson and May.

 _They'd_  been completely helpless, and there had been nothing she could do.

Skye had gone up the staircase and straight to her room, where she collapsed down instantly into her bed. She couldn't do this anymore. She needed a release.

For a few minutes she just lay on her bed and cried. It felt good, letting the sobs flow unrestricted. It seemed like half of her time the passed couple days were spent trying to hold back the tears and stay strong, which she now realized had been for everyone else. To not look weak. But here, in her room, in her space with just herself, she could let go. At least for a while.

Skye didn't want to leave. She could admit this to herself, while she cried alone in her room. She was trying to be the strong agent she wanted her friends to see in her and do the right thing. But was it really that good of a cause when the man fronting it was threatening to kill so many people if she didn't?

Maybe.

But it didn't matter. He was holding a gun to millions of people if she said no, even counting out the Inhumans.

She hated it. She hated it and she hated him.

But she would go. Nothing had changed, not really. She still had to do this. Whether she could still keep her stiff upper lip or not she didn't know, but she was going to give herself to him and this sacrifice, whatever the hell it entailed.

Skye stopped crying then. She wouldn't allow herself to spend her time doing that for very long, because she really didn't have much time left. Plus, sobbing her eyes out for hours wasn't exactly on her bucket list. But she knew something that was.

Wiping the snot with her sleeve, she moved over to her desk where she managed to find a small notepad with enough sheets left and a pen. She was definitely more of a computer girl, but she felt this needed to be done by hand.

With pen and paper in hand, Skye moseyed back in her bunk, snuggled up in the covers, and wrote.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, may be pretty boring. And short. I would have put a boring warning at the beginning to tell you you could skip but it includes a bit of plot you really shouldn't miss. Next is *hopefully* better.


	22. Ward's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson has a chat with Ward and Skye. Later, Ward catches Skye doing something the team wouldn't approve of, ultimately leading her to ask a favor of him.

It was times like these that Coulson forgot to eat. He wasn't really sure of the last time he'd eaten, but the fact that his stomach felt like it was starting to cave in on itself had to be some indication that he needed sustenance.

Or maybe it was from the grand amount of disturbing things going on.

Either way, if you couldn't recall the last time you'd had food, it probably meant you were in need of some.

Coulson walked to the kitchen as he dreaded to think what they could possibly have remaining in there. Grocery shopping wasn't really a priority lately. And it was probably because of this that he felt a pang of annoyance to see Ward there, digging his hand into a bag of banana chips.

But Ward's wide-eyed look of "caught with a hand in the cookie jar" amused Coulson enough that the agitation quickly dissipated.

"Those are Agent Triplett's," Coulson told him casually. "He's the only one that would eat organic like that."

"Oh." Ward stared at the chips, suddenly pushing them away as though Coulson had scolded him. "I didn't want to eat the last of the real food," said Ward by way of explanation.

"Real food, huh?" Coulson asked. "I mean, I don't really like the organic style myself, but it's edible."

"I meant that there's not very much food that provides sufficient nutrients left. There's really only some leftover chicken. I just didn't want to be the one to take it."

Coulson simply nodded. "Good."

Phil went to grab the uneaten chicken from the fridge out of its Tupperware, placing it on the counter. A fifteen-minute in and out trip to get food was pretty much necessary as of now, if that was the only thing left. They could do it before their meeting with Elliot Randolph tomorrow.

When Coulson had talked to the Asgardian on the phone he found that the man couldn't actually give up his fascination with Europe - ignoring what Coulson thought of as a great idea to move to Oregon - and was currently residing in France. They were going to meet up in Positano, a city in Italy, the following morning. Randolph admitted to not keeping up with news of Inhumans, but claimed he knew of a way to contact other Asgardian sources.

Meanwhile, Fitz would be working on improving the weapons they'd used to subdue Dr. Hall. With any luck, they could get him into their custody  _and_ have a way to keep him there.

The microwave beeped. Coulson took his food and sat down at the table. At the same time, Ward stiffly stood up and began to walk out of the room.

"You can stay," offered Coulson. The man was obviously going to be around for a while, and with no current strikes against him, Coulson didn't see why there was any need to be uncivil.

"I'm done," Ward told him.

Coulson shrugged as he gulped down a mouthful of chicken. "Alright."

Ward started to move away again before hesitating, turning back to Coulson.

"Sir, why am I still here?" asked Ward abruptly. "I'm not doing anything useful right now. You should have sent me away by now, to prison. I've blatantly told you I'm not loyal to SHIELD."

Coulson swallowed another bite. "But we're aware of that. Plus you're obviously still willing to follow orders and we need anyone we can right now; even if you can't do something at this exact moment." Coulson hesitated before continuing, almost not wanting to admit the following information. "And as long as what we're doing is in Skye's best interest, I have very few doubts that you'll try anything to cross us."

This could be a foolish move on Coulson's part. He had definitely made some bad calls in the past when it came to trusting people. Ward had proved himself more than once while he had been a member of the team, and no one saw it then. But then again, they hadn’t been looking for any signs of a slip up, and now he had no motivation behind such actions anyway. He couldn't go back to Hydra. Not after killing Garrett. No, the only motivation Ward had was Skye.

Which, Coulson had to admit, worried him almost as much as it assured him. It was definitely an unhealthy obsession, especially since Skye openly admitted to hating him. Coulson picked up that Skye wasn't holding such feelings of rage towards him anymore, but she still wasn't 100% with him. He doubted she would ever be.

"About Skye sir…" Ward asked, as though he knew Coulson was thinking about her. The man had quieted while he seemed to try and think how to word his question. "What are we going to do?"

The two of them shared a look then. The emotions were mirrored for the girl who they both cared for, all the concern, hope, and fear of disappointment reflected in them.

" _Ehem_ ," came a loud cough from the corner, and the two men's startled glances went to Skye, leaning on doorframe. "Thought I'd uh, cut ya off there before things got awkward." They stared at her, somewhat stunned by her sudden appearance. She glanced between the two. "…er."

Skye had left suddenly for a few hours and the team had decided to give her space, but now that she was here Coulson wanted nothing more than to ask where she had been, how she was feeling. He let them sit in the back of his mind, realizing the questions would be inconsiderate to ask her to bring up.

"How are you feeling?"

Unfortunately, Ward did not realize this.

The question had meant to be said with concern and good intent, but it was pretty obvious the girl wouldn't have been feeling anywhere near  _good_.

"Sore," Skye answered bluntly as she walked into the kitchen. "You'd think with all the stupid gravity powers the guy would have figured out how to set a person down gently," she told them. "My butt is  _so_  bruised."

Neither of the men seemed sure how to reply to that particular comment, instead remaining quiet while Skye came in to search the pantries.

"Is there like zero food left?" she asked after she finished her looking. "Oh wait, never mind, I found a hot chocolate packet. Feast for kings," she said wryly, wagging the pouch in front of herself to show them.

"We're going to take a brief trip to the grocery store tomorrow," Coulson told her.

She nodded, before her face suddenly lit up. "Oh my gosh, you know what we could do? We could go  _out_ to eat. Like at a real restaurant with servers and fancy napkins!"

Coulson shared a confused look with Ward.

"What?"

"Yeah! I mean we're in  _Italy_ , basically the carb capitol of the world. We should take advantage of it. Plus it would be cool to see May in like, normal non-field agent clothes and FitzSimmons out of the lab. Who knows what Fitz' table manners are like…"

Ward stepped up. "Do we really have time for that?"

"Sure. I don't have to go…  _there_  for a couple days, so it can be like a last meal sort of thing."

So many things were wrong with that sentence. Her chipper tone, how casual she was being, and most importantly: the content.

"Skye you're not…" Coulson couldn't even express his disbelief. "What in the world gave you the idea that you were actually going to go with that mad man?"

Confusion splashed onto her face. "Because he's threatening to kill thousands of people if I don't?"

"Well, you're not. SHIELD doesn't negotiate with terrorists," Coulson told her firmly.

"Ok… he's not a terrorist, he's an alien. An alien threatening to destroy the world if I, one single person, don't go. I don't even think there's a question. It would be for a good cause anyway..."

"This isn't a blood drive Skye!" Ward shouted. "This is your life."

"Right, it's  _my_  life. So I get to decide what I want to do with it."

Coulson couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wasn't sure why, this  _was_  Skye they were talking about. He'd understood why she would do it before; she felt she was saving a race. But Coulson doubted a man that threatened her as he had could be in possession of any truly good intentions and he had figured Skye would have come to the same conclusions. Apparently not.

"Wolfe has lied multiple times. He could be tricking you into thinking this ritual is something it's not," Coulson pointed out for her. Ward nodded.

"Well, that doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" said Skye. "He's going to kill people if I don't go. So whatever it's for, I have to do it."

"No," Coulson said firmly. "Fitz is working on a way to take down Hall as we speak. Once we have him in custody, we-"

"We can wait for an alien invasion to come to earth?" Skye interrupted. "Obviously it's happened before and I'm _not_  talking about New York. There are people after me Coulson and now that Wolfe knows where I am, why would he stop until he gets what he wants?"

She stared at his face, breathing heavily while she waited for an answer. When she realized he didn't have one to give she continued.

"Do you know how terrified I was when Graviton came on to the BUS?" Skye suddenly disclosed, surprising him. Ward shifted his stance in shock as well. "I couldn't do anything to stop him, stop them from hurting you and May, and then I thought… I thought they were going to take me away."

Coulson could see her tiny shaking as she clenched and released her fists over and over. He wanted to hug her, but the space she'd put between them made him unsure if she'd be ok with it. So he'd just reassure her.

"Skye, we are _not_ going to let anyone take you away. They won't get their hands on you if we have anything to say about it. So please, don't give yourself to them."

She drew herself up, stating firmly and indignantly, "I'm not afraid of them. I don't care what they do to me or what this stupid ritual needs. I'm willing to go with them when I have to." She stopped, taking a deep breath to steady her voice. "I was afraid… I was afraid they weren't going to let me say goodbye."

Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence and Coulson didn't care about the space she'd placed between them, he stepped forward and wrapped her up in an embrace. She hugged him back tightly.

As Skye nuzzled herself into his shoulder, Coulson watched Ward. He looked somewhat taken aback by the scene. Perhaps he felt out of place because he began to slowly back out of the room, before disappearing completely to give them privacy.

"I couldn't move… or speak," she mumbled into his shoulder before drawing back. "I couldn't do anything because they took all my control from me. Please, don't take away my choice from me now."

Coulson had never heard such a vulnerable request from Skye. He almost didn't know how to respond, or maybe he just didn't want to. But he knew there was really only one answer.

"I won't Skye. Not if that's what you want," he told her. How could he tell her anything less? She seemed satisfied by the comment as she pulled out of the embrace. "But please, let us try to find more facts. If we find a way to defeat Hall, wait a few more days before going to meet Wolfe? There's still a chance we can figure all this out."

She contemplated the request and for a moment it looked like she was ready to say no, stubborn as she was. But eventually she smiled.

"Sure," she told him.

"Thank you."

She nodded quickly. She gave him one more squeeze of a hug, just before squinting her eyes in thought. "Do we have any real chocolate? As in, not the dried out kind in a bag."

He tried to chuckle. Tried to act with some semblance of normalcy for her. "I don't think so. Fitz could be hiding some, but we haven't restocked lately so I doubt it."

"Dang," she muttered. "Chocolate sounds really good right now. Put it on the grocery list: good, Italian chocolate. Or you know, any kind of chocolate. All chocolate is still chocolate."

Coulson had a hunch her humor was forced as she tried to shake the situation, but he laughed and enjoyed the smile it put on her face. Her eyes suddenly began searching the room.

"Uh… when did Ward leave?" she asked.

"A few minutes ago," Coulson said, avoiding specific details of their conversation. "Probably sometime during our hug."

She tisked with her tongue. "Guess even this Hydra Ward can't handle emotions."

"Maybe not, but he's been helpful," Coulson admitted.

"Yeah. As much as I hate to admit it, it probably was a good choice bringing him on to help out."

"I agree," Coulson told her.

Skye nodded through the silence.

"He really cares about you, you know," Coulson told her, and she sighed heavily.

"I know.  _Believe me_ , I know. But that doesn't change anything, he still-"

"I know it doesn't," Coulson interrupted. He didn't need to hear a list of Ward's crimes again; he knew what they were. "But given the situation, I'm grateful for it."

Skye looked down. Playing with her thumbs, she admitted in a whisper, "me too."

When Skye went back to peruse the cabinets again, Coulson couldn't' help but notice the smile on Ward's face as he turned back around in the doorway.

* * *

 

Ward couldn't imagine that a single, seemingly insignificant comment made by one girl could affect him so much, if it at all. But it had.

Skye was happy, or at the very least grateful, he was there.

Ward had never felt like this. Because in short, Ward felt… compromised. The two tiny words that uttered out of Skye's mouth had made him dwell on her, thinking about her situation and just in general… Skye. The thoughts were making it so he was having a hard time sleeping, but he didn't really know what to do. Due to shortage of bunks he was still rooming in the Cage and he didn't really have a lot of stuff to spend his time with.

So, possibly making a horrible decision, he went to Skye's room.

There would be no mistaking or denying it if anyone saw him there this time, he wouldn't have just been passing by. But there was no reason they'd have to blame him. He was only going to see if the girl was awake, if there was something she needed to talk about.

He went to knock lightly on her door only to find that it wasn't even closed. That was strange for such a late time of night.

"Skye?" he called. No answer. He decided to make an even stupider move and peak inside, expecting to find her curled up in the covers.

He opened the door completely and stepped into her bunk. It was a little untidy, as always, with clothes spread on the ground and papers all over the desk, but she was definitely not in the small space.

Just then Ward heard a mechanical groaning. It was merely a low hum from his current position, but Ward recognized the sound: the cargo bay ramp opening. He quickly ran down the stairs, terrified that Wolfe had come back and Skye was already in the process of being kidnapped. Again.

Ward got there just as the ramp was finishing its descent and all he saw was Skye. No Wolfe, no Graviton, just a bag over back.

"Skye?" he called out, and she turned around with a start.

Her mouth gaped for a few moments before she spoke.

"I thought everyone was asleep."

"Too much on my mind," Ward muttered, stepping up to her with arms crossed. He gestured his head to her pack. "What you got there?"

She looked at the sack briefly, before raising her head back to him. "Just some clothes."

"Skye, what are you doing?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Leaving," she told him simply, quickly. She might have thought it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off, but Ward was definitely in shock. Even though, given the context, he should have completely expected the answer.

"You're  _what?"_

"I'm giving myself up," Skye said, and before Ward could ask why she read the question from his face. "Because if Coulson gets too close to finding out a way to defeat Hall, he's going to try and hold me back from turning myself over at the deadline. And if one person dies Ward,  _one_  person, it will be too many."

Ward understood what she was thinking. But was she really just about to give herself up before she had to, without even telling anyone?

"What happened to being afraid of not being able to say goodbye?" asked Ward. "I thought that's why you were scared they were going to take you before."

Skye looked down, near embarrassed. Or coy, her hands even hid behind her back. Kicking the plane floor she mumbled out, "I wrote letters."

"You wrote letters." Ward scoffed. "You wrote letters? God Skye, do you not even realize what a big influence you have on everyone here? FitzSimmons would be crushed if all they got were a letter. Coulson would probably never be the same. And honestly, letters aren't really the same as saying goodbye."

"At least I could have given them something," Skye protested, tears making their way to the surface, making her eyes shine. "At least it's  _my_ choice."

"Maybe it shouldn't be. Obviously you aren't thinking clearly if you were going to give yourself up  _days_ before the deadline."

"Please, Ward," she protested weakly, but he continued.

"Don't you care if it's the truth? Don't you think it's worth it to find out if we can defeat Hall? "

She wiped away the few tears that had managed to spill through, staring at him with renewed purpose.

"No, I don't," she said firmly. "And would you lower your big robot voice? You'll wake up the whole damn plane."

"Good, they should wake up. If that's what it takes to keep you here," he told her. "There's no way you're leaving tonight."

Her eyes closed slowly, shaking her head with disappointment at the words before she finally trained her stare at the ground.

She seemed so tired.

"So, you're making rules for me too, now," she scoffed. Ward straightened himself.

"I don't believe your judgment's at its best right now, Skye."

"My  _judgment_  is fine. The only problem is that I don't get to use it because people have been making my decisions for me!" she sneered.

Ward felt that he could relate to this. But for him, he welcomed when people made the decisions. Gave him orders. He was able to be decisive and find what he should be the most tactical solution, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Skye's face began to soften from a clear anger to somewhat understanding as she started to take deliberate steps towards him. Suddenly she was holding his hands, gazing into his eyes.

"Please, let me do this Ward. Let me make this choice on my own," she asked, before scoffing. "It's the  _only_ thing I have control of in my own life, and I'd really like to keep at least that."

Ward didn't know what to say. He couldn't just let Skye waltz out there to her death. Not to mention her execution date was almost two weeks away and god knew what a sadistic bastard like Wolfe was planning on doing with her until then.

"Did I get one?" Ward asked curiously.

Skye squinted, perplexed.

"Get what?"

"A letter."

She searched his eyes momentarily. He briefly wondered what she was looking for. Still, he took the moment to relish in hers.

"Yes," she told him, before letting out a heavy sigh. "I know you've done bad things Ward, but I told you, I don't hate you. I can't do it anymore. And besides… what's holding a grudge going to do for me now?"

Her words hit him hard. Why did she have to be so damn resigned?

Ward's head shook dejectedly. "You don't have to do this, Skye."

She pursed her lips, began rubbing gentle circles in Grant's hands. He nearly shivered at how tender her touch was.

"Yes, I do."

And then, with her feet lifting slightly so that she was nearly on her toes, she kissed him.

Ward eagerly met her lips with his own, though trying to keep the excitement of the moment to a minimum as she set a gentle tone. Not once, in all his hopes or silent expectations did he ever think she would do this with him again. It wasn't a small kiss, but it wasn't so full of passion as some of those they shared at Providence.

Grant didn't like to think of those.

Once it had come out that Skye had known about his Hydra status and how much disdain she held for him after, those kisses were marred. She’d been disgusted by him and had still managed to pull through them. She could even be doing it now, but Ward was too lost in the moment to notice or care. He was touching her. She was  _inviting_  him to touch her. He let his hand weave through her hair, took in her familiar scent. It was impossible not to revel in all of it.

Skye broke away, looking into his eyes with what looked like so much innocence and askance. She seemed so delicate. Crushed as easily as a flower under a boot if he weren’t careful.

"If you'll let me," she breathed, before softly adding, "please, Ward."

He took a deep breath, didn't release. They both knew she was supposed to be in charge here, but they were also aware that Ward had the physical strength to hold her back until someone else got there.

Grant was also mindful of the fact that Skye had made countless declarations, along with making it obvious through her very actions, that she was never going to let  _them_  happen again. He'd done too much to her and betrayed the team. Then again, as Skye said, was now really the time for her to be holding grudges? She could just be letting go, but she could very possibly be manipulating him. In fact, it wasn't just possible it was probable.

Whether she was trying to trick him or not wasn't the dilemma though. No, the question was: would giving her the right to her choice be the morally correct thing to do? Putting aside his feelings and putting aside what Coulson might do if he found out Ward had let her go, did he owe this to her?

 _If you let her go you'll never see her again,_  he reminded himself. But again, taking that into account would be making the decision for himself and not her.

So Grant thought. He thought for a good minute about the pros and cons and the rights and wrongs. If what was going through Skye's head right now was her best judgment. He thought while he stared into her pleading brown eyes that were so desperate for him to just let her go disappear forever from the world.

And then he told her his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! :) Was it good for the skyward shippers or bleh?


	23. Skye's Petulance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye learns that the team doesn't agree with her choice. Then, they go to meet with Asgardian Elliot Randolph.

"Damn you, Ward! Damn you,  _damn_  you!" she shouted heatedly. Great. Now  _she_ was going to wake up the entire plane.

 _"I'm not going to let you do this,"_  he had said. What made him think he could do this to her? What gave him the right?

"What gives you the right, huh?" Skye continued at a slightly lowered volume. "Why in the hell would you think this is ok?"

"Because Coulson deserves better," said Ward, surprising her with how well he stood his ground. She wasn't sure why, he was incredibly skilled at keeping his emotions in check. But when she'd started yelling at him – she kicked the wall too, a tantrum she already wasn’t very proud of – he looked startled and upset. Now he was all rough and tough again. "They all do. And it's ridiculous for you to leave before you have to!"

She was fuming now, though she wasn't sure what to say.

"It was a lie," she decided upon. "The kiss."

He looked unburdened by the information, but perhaps his indifference was forced.

"I figured."

Skye knew her declaration was only half true. She didn't understand her feelings for Ward. This man, who'd broken her trust, captured her and had made her suffer, didn't deserve forgiveness or retribution. And he certainly didn't deserve her. So in a normal situation, no, she wouldn't have kissed him.

But she'd been inexplicably happy to get the chance to.

"Can we please just shut the door and go back inside?" he asked her. "We can talk more in there."

"You  _really_ think I want to talk to you right now?" she seethed, just before glancing at the cargo ramp. It was wide open and she was closer to it than Ward was. She definitely wasn't stronger than him, but she was possibly faster.

"Don't do it, Skye," he warned, reading her thoughts.

Her head snapped back to him. "Why? Are you going to drag me back, kicking and screaming?"

"If I have to," Ward told her.

"You'll get off Coulson's good graces if you even try to touch me."

Ward's arms were crossed as he casually walked passed her, perhaps trying to calm down the situation. Make their chat more of a conversation than a confrontation.

"Maybe, but Coulson's a perceptive guy. Even so, the repercussions don't matter. I'm not letting-"

Skye bolted. She'd hoped it was random enough to catch Ward off-guard. That hope had been in vain as he was hot on her heels the moment she'd moved. But to her surprise, he stopped as soon as he crossed from the plane floor to the ramp. Was he second-guessing this? Was he letting her go?

A loud, blearing alarm told her this was incredibly wistful thinking, as all of a sudden a wall slammed down in front of her, blocking the way out.

She blinked a few times at her now dead end escape route, before turning around to glare at Ward. He held up his wrist.

"I'm not entirely on Coulson's good graces yet," he told her as he pointed to the bracelet on his arm, which must have triggered the lockdown.

Skye threw down her bag of clothes petulantly, not taking her accusatory eyes off Ward as she stalked away. She walked up the stairs, only to be met by a frazzled Coulson running at her when she got to the top. He was wearing pajamas, which Skye realized she'd never seen him in before. Still, she could have totally predicted the shirt would have a Captain America shield on it. Which it did.

"What's going on?" he hollered down at Ward who was holding his arms up in surrender.

"Nothing," Skye snorted. "I was trying to leave but don't worry, Hydra boy here stopped me."

The anger quickly dissipated from Coulson's face.

"You were trying to leave?" her team leader asked in a near broken voice. It made Skye's anger melt away too, until all she could feel was embarrassment. She was disarmed and near speechless from the look on his face.

"I was afraid…" she started, too quietly to hear over the alarm. She tried again. "I thought you might not let me leave with enough time."

"So you decide to pack up and leave  _days_ early?" he bellowed, anger definitely back. "I thought we were on the same page. You said you would wait for Fitz to see if he could make anything of the machine to take down Hall!"

"Yeah, and what if he does? We'd just try to go beat the bad guy and  _someone's_  going to get caught in the crossfire," she said heatedly. "This is the best choice, AC."

Coulson just stared at her, obviously in disbelief at what she was saying. She glanced down at Ward. His pitying eyes were locked on her, but the moment she caught them he veered away and began to pace the cargo hold.

"What is going on?" came Simmons' voice, followed by the girl it belonged to. "What's all this racket?"

"There a situation, sir?" asked Triplett, obviously trying to get his mind out of a sleepy haze when the alarm abruptly switched off. Skye guessed May was the culprit of that, as she came trotting over a moment later.

The hacker was just about to comment on how she felt left out of the pajama party, their outfits somehow raising her spirits, but Coulson brought them crashing back down with the question's answer.

"Yes, we do have a situation," Coulson said firmly. "Skye needs to be monitored."

_"What?"_

Coulson turned to meet her incredulous stare. "I'm going to assign someone to be with you for every moment until this deadline. Your room will be monitored, but if you need to be alone report to whoever is supervising you at the time and they can give you the privacy."

"Is… is this a joke?" she asked incredulously. "I mean it must be, but I am so not laughing."

"No," Coulson stated firmly, leaving no room for debate or second guesses.

She shook her head in disbelief. "You can't do this! What happened to giving me a choice?"

"You'll have your choice Skye, but you're being irrational. You're in a state of shock and jumping to conclusions. We need to wait and see if we can figure this out. The fact that you tried to meet with Wolfe so quickly shows your decision-making isn't up to par at the moment."

Skye was losing track of how many times she'd cried over the past few days, and despite her best efforts, the tears were making another appearance.

"You can't do this to me!" she shouted. "I thought you cared about what I think. I thought you  _respected_  me!"

"I do," he said, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. She backed up passed the length of his arm. She shook her head.

"No, you don't," she whispered.

She knew that wasn't the truth, but honestly, it sure as hell felt like it right now. He was betraying her. And Skye was getting pretty freaking sick of the feeling.

Coulson was taken aback and possibly about to defend himself when a sudden crash from below caused everyone to jump. A moment later every person on the platform was sending a look of curiosity downward to Ward.

"That wasn't me," he said in defense. "It came from the lab."

"Ow, yeah, that was definitely me," mumbled Fitz, walking out of the lab and up to Ward. Cables were draped all over him and he took his time to take off each one individually.

"Fitz, what are you doing down there?" asked Simmons. Paused. "Wait, have you been down there this entire time?"

"Er, yes."

"Why didn't you say something?" Ward asked with annoyance.

"Well, it was a very awkward situation!" Fitz protested. Skye felt her cheeks flush as she realized he would have seen their kiss. "So I thought it would be better if you never knew I was here. Obviously that didn't work…"

"What are you even doing at this time of night?" Simmons asked.

"Working on something to take Hall down, of course!" Fitz exclaimed. "You lot may have nothing to do before the meeting with Randolph, but I can be working."

"I could be helping you, why didn't you tell me?" asked Jemma.

"Sometimes I'm just more productive by myself, Simmons."

Skye was briefly reminded about their recent stint with memory loss and if they'd tried to run any tests on Fitz since then. He seemed much more open to it when they'd all forgotten their previous argument. But again, before she had a chance to voice her question Coulson's voice rang through.

"How fast can you rig up a feed near Skye’s bunk?" he asked.

"Oh erm… it would just take a couple minutes," said Fitz.

"Good. Get on it," said Coulson, and after a moment's hesitation Fitz quickly scurried away. "Ward, seeing as you weren't sleeping anyway, you're on first watch."

Skye scoffed a hardy laugh, unable to contain it. "Oh that's  _rich_. The guy who's so untrusted he has to wear a tracking bracelet and you're putting him in charge of me."

"He's obviously shown dedication to this particular job."

Skye blinked, mouth gaping and still unbelieving. "I don't- I can't-" She turned abruptly to the rest of the team. "Do all of you agree with this?"

Simmons was avoiding her eyes, hands behind her back as she scuffed her bare foot on the ground.

"Well, it doesn't exactly make sense that you'd leave before you have to, does it?" she admitted quietly. "Maybe this is for the best. You could be experiencing an acute stress reaction and it would be completely understandable!"

Skye couldn't believe this. She searched for anyone to tell her differently, but Triplett had been nodding along with Simmons and May was just as emotionless as always. Still, Skye wanted answers, so she gestured her head towards the seasoned agent.

"What do you think?" Skye asked firmly. May, of course, gave her a stare that revealed nothing. Though that wasn’t the case with her words.

"I think we need to respect Coulson's decision."

Skye could have laughed. The way that had been worded was just too perfect.

"So you expect me to respect  _his_ decision, when he won't even respect mine?"

"Seeing as he is the one in charge of this team and you have been acting recklessly, that is exactly what I expect," May told her. “We’ll all respect your decision. You just need to give it some time.”

Skye couldn't help but growl in frustration. "I've already been held captive for days and now we know I don't have much time left, but you all agree I should have to spend what time I do on a leash?"

No one said anything, their blank stares holding the answer.

Face scrunched up with anger and desperation, she spat, "Fine!" and turned on her heel to leave.

She didn't need to tell them how miserable, betrayed, and untrusted she felt. If they had a clue at all they would be able to read it from her face and her last venomous compliance of a word. Though, Skye began to doubt if any of them could gauge her real feelings at all.

Skye knew Ward would be on her in a moment to start his new duties, but if he were smart he'd stay out of sight. She was ready to lash out again if she saw another one of them anytime soon. This made it a good thing that Fitz hadn't been to her room to install cameras just yet. He would be up there any second, but she didn't need very long to do what she had to.

Striding into her room purposefully she immediately went to her desk, ripped up the papers she had worked so hard on just a few hours ago and pelted them into the trash bin.

She watched the pieces mournfully, as they floated to mostly miss their mark and drifted straight onto the ground.

* * *

Coulson was worried he'd made the wrong choice.

Skye hadn't spoken to anyone since he ordered her to have monitors. Even when Simmons went to sit with the hacker as she ate breakfast to try and have a conversation with her, Skye merely picked up the bag of banana chips and moved to another seat. The girl must have known how much that would hurt Jemma’s feelings.

If Skye spent her last days in a fit of silent rage, would it really have been worth it to take away her choice for the time being?

Even May had expressed feelings of doubt.

"You know I will always follow your decisions. But are you sure this is the right move?" she had asked him shortly after the incident the night before.

"Skye can make the choice to give herself up when the deadline comes, but she's not thinking straight right now. This is for her own good."

"Skye won't see it that way."

"She'll be grateful for it in the future if we can buy her one."

May raised an eyebrow. "I doubt Skye will ever be grateful for this."

Coulson couldn't help but agree with her. But he decided if they could give Skye any extra time, maybe even find a way out of this, it didn't matter. Wrong decision or not, Coulson knew he would have been incapable of making any other.

"I could get used to this," Skye admonished, breaking her vow of silence upon seeing the Italian city. "I feel like this is what Legoland would look like if they redecorated to like, idyllic chic."

Positano was unique in the way its buildings were set up: multicolored houses built upwards on one another. This was most likely the cause of Skye's comment.

"Yeah. Too bad we're not here for the view," said Coulson.

Skye glared at him. "What, I can't enjoy looking at stuff either? Any more restrictions you want to add? I've already got Ward the warden traitor person not giving me two feet of room."

Apparently she was switching from the silent treatment to her signature sarcastic attitude, but with noticeably more spite.

Seeming perturbed by the comment, Ward shifted slightly away from her. Though there was still no more than two feet of space between them. Coulson just gave Skye a weary look, feeling unable to respond to her comment without repeating what he already had many times since the night before.

"Ward isn't specifically monitoring you right now," May reminded her, leaving unsaid that she was surrounded by four field agents. Any of them could keep her in their sights well enough.

"I know but… Ward the warden? It's kind of funny, right?" Skye asked hopefully, mood quickly turning sour when no one responded fast enough. "Sorry, maybe my jokes aren't as good when I'm pissed off and terminal."

Coulson sighed, rubbing his hand to his forehead. He sincerely wished that Skye would stop talking about her impending death as casually as if she was dreading some doctor's appointment, but wouldn't dare voice it with how much her anger was currently directed at him.

"I thought it was funny," admitted Trip after a few seconds. A few too late apparently, as the small window of Skye's cheery mood seemed closed as she just continued to frown.

"Meet's at 1400 hours," said May. "We should get going."

It was a small café at the bottom of the nest of buildings. All the tables were small and circular, only enough for two people, but this was fine for Elliot Randolph's current stance as he sat alone drinking his coffee.

"Agent Coulson," said Randolph. "Do you have something against being on time?"

"Not at all. We just have to be a little more wary nowadays," he answered.

"Hmm. From what you've told me if this man wanted you he could have done it easily enough when he infiltrated your aircraft."

 _He didn't infiltrate the aircraft, he was already there as a prisoner,_  Coulson wanted to defend but second-guessed it. That probably wasn't something to really boast about.

"Mind if we sit down?" he asked, and the Asgardian opened his hands in an inviting gesture.

"By all means," he said. "Though you may have to pull up a few tables. I don't know why they feel the need to make them so tiny."

"Wonder if Thor wouldn't even fit in one," said Trip.

"You know, I really don't think he would," admitted Coulson.

They pulled up two extra tables. Coulson with Randolph, Ward and Skye at one, and May and Triplett at another.

"Shame you didn't bring your scientist. She was definitely the most interesting out of all of you," Elliot admonished, taking a sip of espresso.

FitzSimmons had stayed back on the BUS to work on and research what could take down Hall. Though Fitz guaranteed he had it under control, it seemed to make sense to leave him with a partner.

"But I suppose you're rather interesting now, aren't you?" he said to Skye, just before looking at Coulson. "Based on description, I take it she's the Inhuman that's caused this little meeting?"

Skye stared at him. "Half-Inhuman."

"Right. And what's your other side?"

"Kree," Skye told him, seeming unsure about saying the word. "Um… the blue ones."

Elliot tilted his head. "You certainly don't scream that race too much. Even apart from color." He shrugged. "But I was never really one to mingle. Mainly soldiers and politicians who made trips to other worlds, and I signed up a little later in life."

"I guess they cancel each other out actually," Skye admitted. "I'm pretty much human, so I don't have like, powers or anything."

"But there's power in your death?" asked Randolph and everyone at the table tensed. He seemed to sense the hostility. "Well, that is why we're here, isn't it?"

"It is," said Coulson, trying to avoid Skye having to talk about it. "Do you have any information on the Inhumans?"

"Can't say that I do, really." said Randolph casually. "But prophecies and curses? That's definitely their forte. Kree or Inhumans. And there is no doubt that the Inhumans use the Terrigen Mists to gain powers through Terregenesis, but I've never heard of anything else coming of it. A sacrifice, ritual or whatever you're talking about."

"So you can't tell us anything about recent Inhuman history?"

Randolph laughed. "Not unless by recent you mean over one thousand years ago. And even then, I don't know much. But I do know whom you can ask."

He pulled out a piece of paper with a strange, spherical drawing on it.

"What's this?" asked Coulson.

"This is… well, how about we call it a phone number? You can use it to contact Heimdall, sentry of the Bifrost on Asgard," said Elliot. Skye's eyes widened.

"We're going to just call up an Asgardian?" asked Skye, excitement seeping into voice. "Like, while he's  _in_ Asgard?"

"Well no, you're not just going to be able to talk to him. That would be ridiculous," laughed Elliot. "You draw this on the ground, hopefully somewhere secluded that won't notice an alien disturbance coming from the sky, and he  _may_ be able to send you some sort of sign."

They all looked skeptical.

"Oh yeah, and  _talking_  to him was ridiculous," mumbled Skye.

"Then we're expected to just… leave him a note that tells him what our problem is?" asked Coulson.

"Oh, no," responded Randolph lightly, his voice lined with a small chuckle. "He sees all. If you make contact he'll know exactly what you need."

Coulson glanced over the paper and took in its contents. It was a circle, but a bunch of gibberish was lining the inside of it. It didn't look particularly promising. Though it did resemble the markings Thor and Sif's transport would leave…

"And you're sure this will work?" he asked.

"Not in the least bit. I've of course never used it before!" Elliot exclaimed. "And who knows if Heimdall will even bother answering you?"

"How encouraging," said May flatly.

"Hey, that's what I have to offer," Elliot said as he offered his hands. "I'm still grateful for you helping me and I'm doing what I can to help you."

"And we appreciate that," said Coulson firmly, followed by a still silence. "Well, if that's all, I think we'll be taking our coffee to go."

"Alright. Please, tell your lovely bio-chemist I said hello."

"Will do," said Coulson, nodding to his team so that they all got out of their chairs collectively. Ward seemed to have some trouble getting his legs out from beneath the small table.

"Oh, and Agent Coulson?" Randolph called after him, so he looked back to the Asgardian. "I would leave  _her_  somewhere secure while you do this." He nodded towards Skye. "You never know just whose heads you'll turn by contacting another world, and you wouldn't want your half-breed to draw her attackers attention back."

Coulson nodded. He dreaded turning back around as he was afraid to see the look on Skye's face. He prepared to hear some sort of vinegar-lined protest.

Instead he only heard her sigh. Once he looked towards the sound, he saw her managing to pull a light smile onto her face.

"That's ok," she said weakly, her voice small. "Seeing humanity use a cool alien calling card for the first time ever wasn't on my bucket list anyway." The comment was full of resignation, and simple acceptance, as she shrugged and began to walk out of the café.

Coulson didn't think he'd miss her snarky silence or attitude, but the complete surrender in her voice definitely made him think twice. He wanted to throw out an embrace or offer words of comfort, but he wasn't sure she'd accept them. So he didn't say anything.

Skye didn't say much of anything either as they made their way back to the BUS, the mutual silence the only thing holding them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Sreya! Your idea was awesome though :D
> 
> So the past two days I've been designing Agents of SHIELD shirts! If you guys have any ideas of what I could do next let me know. You can check them out here: http://www.redbubble.com/people/sarahmosc?ref=account-nav-dropdown
> 
> Just some shameless advertising ;)


	24. May's Shrewdness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz and Simmons talk with Skye in the lab. May and the rest of the team attempt to contact Heimdall and end up getting an unexpected visit.

"It's interesting, don't you think?" asked Simmons.

"Mmm, what?" said Fitz.

"Our amnesia! How on earth could a gravity altering man cause such precise trauma to the pre-frontal lobe or perhaps even the hippocampus that we would all lose the exact amount of time? And you woke up earlier than us most likely, as you said, because you were farther from him when he attacked, but yet you even lost the same amount …"

"I dunno," he said. "It's definitely strange."

Fitz was very involved in working on the research for something that could take down Graviton or contain him. The mad scientist seemed quite passed the realm of reasoning though, so it was likely they'd have to resort to the former.

Because of his focus on the engineering, Fitz' eyes didn't meet hers when they spoke and he was distracted. Though she was used to this. Sometimes she just needed to think out loud, and honestly, it was at least better than the way he'd been acting these past few days.

She'd genuinely been ready to shut him down about the possible relationship. In her heart Jemma still didn't know if they should be together, and she really hadn’t even wanted to think about it until at least Skye was… until Skye's birthday. But with how awkward things had gotten between them, well, she’d decided she just needed to give him an answer.

But since Graviton attacked them, ironically, things had gotten much better! The awkwardness seemed to have dissipated and he wasn't snapping at her quite so easily anymore. So she felt no need to bring it up if they could just fall back into place, the way they were before. At least until things calmed down.

"Hey guys," Skye announced as she walked into the lab and took a seat in a spin chair.

"Skye! You're back," said Simmons cheerily. "Did you all find anything concrete?"

"Well, we have… a lead to a lead I guess." She sighed. "Randolph gave us this way to talk to an Asgardian that may have some information. But not really talk so much as give… signs. Maybe."

That didn't sound very concrete to Simmons. In fact, it sounded like a bit of rubbish.

"Well, doesn't that sound promising!" Jemma exclaimed. "Right, Fitz?"

"Yeah, very promising," he mumbled through his work.

"Anyway, the rest of them headed out now to look into it," said Skye.

"You don't want to go?" asked Simmons skeptically.

"It sounds kind of awesome actually, but I'm not allowed to go because…" she sighed, seeming unbothered to share the information. "Well, same old same old. Alien prophecy weirdo stuff."

 _What a careless question_ , thought Simmons. Of course Skye would be on the mission if she’d been permitted.

"That's all right! You can stay with us," offered Jemma, now positive she was overcompensating with cheer due to Skye dismal attitude.

Skye nodded and looked over at Fitz, noticing how intent his focus was. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh, well I'm just looking into how we could have possibly been affected with amnesia from a gravity-based power source," said Simmons. "And Fitz is of course working on, em, something to neutralize Dr. Hall."

"Hmm. Maybe we could just find something really, really heavy…" started Skye, but Jemma soon stopped hearing the girl, her mind stuck on something she herself had said.

Neutralize…

Wait. Neutralize!

Apparently, Raina had said the reason Skye's blood was able to take down Garrett was because it was a natural neutralizer. And given what Wolfe had said about her heritage…

"Oh my goodness, I think I may have just had an epiphany! Skye, get on the med bench. Please."

Skye had actually been in the middle of saying something, Jemma realized from the way the hacker’s mouth hung unhinged, but she hadn't the foggiest idea of what it was. Simmons began grabbing the girl and pulling her over to examination table.

"Whoa, hey there. You know it's nowhere near time for my physical, right?" Skye asked as Simmons stopped her at the bench, motioning to sit. Fitz even took a moment to look up and see what the commotion was.

When Simmons went to get a tourniquet and needle, Skye's eyes widened at the sight.

"What? Ugh, not this again…" she complained as the Simmons lifted Skye's sleeve to clean the crook of her elbow with rubbing alcohol.

"Oh, don't fuss. This is a good thing!"

She stuck the needle in Skye's arm to which the girl barely grimaced. She had probably gotten used to the frequent poking, and frankly, she had been through much worse.

Fitz walked over with interest. "What are you doing, Simmons?"

Skye raised her hand with a pointed finger. "Girl whose blood is currently getting stolen would like to know as well."

"Well," started Jemma, "When we used your blood to defeat Garrett, it was able to-"

"Hold up there, doctor! What?" Skye exclaimed. "How did you figure out my blood would kill Garrett? Wait, how  _did_  my blood kill Garrett?"

It was a little surprising Skye didn't already have this information, but there was so much some of them hadn't been present for over the passed few days it was hard to keep track of what they were telling each other.

"If you'd let me finish!" Simmons said indignantly, and Skye sat back as she finished filling up a tube to put on another. "Garrett was only alive due to the GH.325. Apparently, your blood works as a natural neutralizer that can break down enzymes and cells. Therefore when we injected it into Garrett-"

"The GH.325 stopped working," Skye finished for her. Simmons almost laughed; it was different to have someone other than Fitz finishing her sentences.

"Raina discovered it. Though, given recent information about her she probably already had a hunch it would work that way. And now it is even backed up by the fact that your two family lines cancel each other out! To be honest I don't have a clue how it works, but that gives sound explanation to the fact that your blood would render other things useless as well."

"That's amazing Simmons!" exclaimed Fitz, now comprehending the reasoning behind her excitement. "If we could combine our research-"

"-find the neutralizer in Skye's blood-"

"-and the proper way to execute a use out of it-"

"-we may very well find a way to get rid of Hall's powers!" Jemma finished enthusiastically. She then pulled the needle out of Skye's arm, dabbing the small blotch of blood before putting a plaster on the tiny wound and walking away to begin analyzing the samples.

Skye sat for a moment on the bench, watching the two scientists work.

"Alright," she mumbled, sounding quiet enough to have been talking to herself, her voice decidedly not happy about such a hopeful prospect. She hopped off the bench. "Guess I'll leave you guys to it."

Simmons was so preoccupied with this new development, she nearly forgot about the girl they were doing this for. She then quickly realized: if everyone else was gone from the BUS…

"Wait, Skye!" Jemma called after her, and the hacker turned around. "We have to, um, let me come with you! Oh wait, I should start… Fitz, will you go with her?"

Skye inferred what the scientist was saying, pursing her lips with embarrassment as she looked down.

"You have the computer monitors right there. You can see the surveillance of the BUS," Skye offered. "Besides, I won't go anywhere," she added _very_ quietly, just before turning around to quickly leave the lab before Simmons had the chance to say anything more.

It broke Jemma's heart. She hated that they were doing this to her, and honestly, by how earnest Skye seemed she wouldn't try to leave right now. But Coulson had ordered her to be watched, and, given recent behaviors, it seemed the right thing to be doing.

Either way, monitors or not, Skye shouldn't be alone now.

"Simmons, I think I may go with a Skye for a bit," said Fitz. "She shouldn't be alone."

"I was just having that precise thought!" Jemma said, smiling at how in sync they were once again. "I'll start working on the blood samples-"

"-and I'll come help you with my end later if anything comes of them," said Fitz, grinning as he set down what he'd been so tirelessly working on.

Tirelessly… had Fitz slept very much at all?

"Fitz?" Jemma called as he began to walk out of the room. He turned around in the doorway. "After you go with Skye for a bit you should get some rest," she told him, and when he seemed about to protest she continued. "Tonight you can work on it while I sleep, because one of us has to be up to watch Skye on the monitors anyways."

He took this in for a brief moment before nodding. "Sounds good to me."

With that Fitz was out the door and Simmons heard him beginning to call for Skye. She felt a small pang of jealously. It would be nice if she could get some time with Skye before…

No. How could she think like that?

There was only one solution to this problem, and that was finding a way to take them down. Graviton, Wolfe, the Inhuman species… it didn't matter.

Simmons would not lose her friend.

* * *

 

"That's not right," said May.

"Of course it's right," objected Coulson.

"Nah man, it's definitely weird," Trip told him. "You got to make that one circle more like a circle."

"It is a circle!"

"I'm pretty sure that's an oval," Ward admonished.

"It's a circle! I can tell it's a circle; I don't know what you people are seeing," Coulson defended. "Now hold the paper closer."

Ward did as he was told and Coulson continued drawing with his finger.

The group of four probably looked rather strange. Crouched in the middle of an Italian country road when it was getting to be dark, drawing strange symbols in the dirt. Not to mention they were mostly dressed in all black, with the exception of one person in a suit. Which clothes would be more odd of a sight for a group to be playing in a dirt road, it was hard to say.

"When you do finish drawing it, what's gonna happen? Cause I'd really not like to be fried by lightning or something," Trip said.

"That's assuming we get it right at all," May pointed out, and Coulson gave her a disgruntled glare.

"It's a tricky design! But if I can just get this little bit…"

As Coulson drew the last line with his finger, the symbol began to glow.

"Ah! See, I told you it was a circle," he gloated.

May had to resist rolling her eyes and just focused on the task at hand, which was getting Coulson away from the drawing that was becoming brighter and brighter. The sky was even starting to glow, clouds swirling just above their heads.

"Get down!" Triplett screamed over the increasing wind as May pulled Coulson away. Ward was already ducking.

The four agents were taking cover next to the road in surrounding ditches, when a bright light zapped its way up to the clouds. It was small, barely a flash. But they'd all seen it.

As soon as it happened the clouds dispersed and the glowing ceased. The agents tentatively got up as they sensed the danger was over, but were still wary of it.

"What was that?" asked Triplett. "Kind of-"

"Anti-climactic?" supplied Coulson.

"I was gonna say intense, but yeah, it did die out too fast to give it that kick."

They walked up to the symbol to see it had been near burned into the ground and that it had definitely reshaped itself to look more like the picture, much to Coulson's dismay. The entire group gave him a pointed look.

"It... it was circular enough to get the message through, ok?" defended Coulson of his artistic abilities.

"Anyone make out a sign?" asked Ward, getting to the point. "Randolph said the Asgardian wouldn't contact us directly, but he'd send us some sort of message."

"If he cared to," May reminded them.

Before anyone could get too upset over the statement, Coulson cut in.

"He also didn't specify a time frame for the response."

"So we're just supposed to sit here and wait?" asked Ward incredulously. "For how long? We can't leave Skye alone with FitzSimmons for days. She doesn't even have days!"

Ward was getting a little too comfortable with his place on the team for May's taste. She was beginning to think he needed a reminder his being here was a privilege and convenience, not a right. But Coulson's matter of fact tone seemed to douse his fire.

"Ward, it's been thirty seconds. Calm down," he told the Hydra agent simply. "You don't have to pretend you're the only one that cares about Skye, we're all aware of her predicament. I understand you have more to prove by bringing up your care for her well being, but trust me, we get it."

May nearly cracked a smile at Ward's disgruntled, slightly abashed gaze to the ground. Not that she did.

"We'll wait in the van," Coulson ordered.

So that's what they did. They waited. They waited as stoically as four field agents could. It was different than they'd become accustomed to, having their science duo or hacker with them. Slightly… emptier, even for May. No one was having friendly conversation or reminiscing, just silence.

Until the loud crack of thunder sounded.

It was dark, and the flash lit up the sky. First thoughts were that it may be Thor, but this definitely wasn't lightning. No, it was the exact same burst of light, colors and smoke that they saw when Sif was transported to earth.

And that's exactly who they saw.

The agents were waiting just outside their van, which had just been vacated as Sif walked over to them.

"Hot warrior woman falling out of the sky?" admonished Triplett. "That's a hell of a sign."

"It's Lady Sif," Coulson informed him as she moved towards them.

"A Lady?" said Trip. "Damn. As if she weren't already enough out of my league."

"Son of Coul! It brings me great joy to see you," said Sif as she approached. She was in an outfit similar to the one they'd seen her in last time she'd been here.

"The feeling's mutual," said Coulson earnestly. "But I've got say, the way this was explained to us, we weren't really expecting to get a personal visit from anyone."

"I cannot stay long," she admitted, looking around at the agents. "This is a face I've not seen before."

"Agent Antoine Triplett, at your service ma'am," said Trip as he offered his hand, but Sif merely stared at it. He pulled it back. "Guess Asgardians don't do shakes. It's cool, I'm more of a fist bump man myself."

"I am glad of your acquaintance, Antoine Triplett. Are you of SHIELD as well?" she asked.

"Whatever's left of it, I'm there," he said, receiving a puzzled look.

"It's a long story," put in Coulson. "But pretty much, we've downsized."

"Ah yes. Your fleets are having hardships, Heimdall mentioned this. I am sorry, though glad to see your comrades still at your side. I hope Lorelei's disturbance did not disrupt your relationship to a point beyond repair?"

It took even May a moment to realize that she was talking to Ward and herself. She didn't respond, but Ward's mouth shot open as he prepared to defend the situation.

"Yeah, you might not want to touch on that subject," suggested Coulson before Ward could try some desperate response. "So, the keeper of your world sent you here? Our source said he would most likely respond in some form of message. There a reason his tactic changed?"

Sif sighed. "I am afraid I bring no better tidings than when I arrived during my last visit to Midguard."

Coulson noticeably stiffened. "What is it?"

Sif stepped up to him purposefully, staring him directly in the eyes.

"It my belief you have been terribly deceived, and I fear the deception has put a great deal of lives in danger. Including the life of your half-breed friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm. HMMM. More deception coming into play? ;)


	25. Skye's Cheer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Simmons have some girl time. Fitz gives Skye some news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this chapter is just Skye and Simmons fluff, so if you want to skip go towards the end when Fitz shows up.

Skye knew that Fitz had run after her because he’d felt bad. He should have probably continued working, but to be honest, she was up for having some company. It wasn't as though she really believed she was keeping him from anything important anyway. Even if they could defeat Hall she would still have to go, right? Her father would undoubtedly find another way to harm people. And her singular life far under weighed any lives she'd put in danger.

That's what she told herself. What she had to keep telling herself, because that was the logical solution. The compassionate solution. But at the same time…

It was so hard to be brave.

She didn't have to be brave with Fitz, though. They talked, they snacked on the groceries the team had managed to pick up between the café and dropping Skye off, and they even played some version of tag with the DWARFs. It was pretty ridiculous, but it might have been the first time she had cracked a genuine smile since she'd been informed of her death sentence.

A few hours in Simmons came up to inform Fitz she had some test results that could work with his machinery, but that he should take a rest before he attempted to work on it.

Skye felt bad. He probably should have been sleeping before then, but he wrote her off with a quick "Nonsense, spending the day with you was a much more valuable investment of my time."

Now it seemed to be Jemma's turn to babysit, but Skye's mood was lightened enough that she didn't even think of it as monitoring. After all, it was true that they could do it easily enough through the surveillance video.

What they happened to be doing kept her mood up as well.

"I basically forced them to get Mint Chocolate Chip," Skye stated cheerily, grabbing the ice cream from the freezer. "Triplett nearly had a heart attack, but Coulson was cool with the splurging."

"Well done, then. I could do with some ice cream," said Simmons. "Though I actually prefer good old fashioned vanilla."

Skye took a spoon into the open container, grabbing some of the cold treat before mumbling out with a full mouth, "that's pretty lame."

"Excuse you!" said Simmons indignantly, as if Skye had actually offended her. The hacker couldn't keep the grin off of her face. "Vanilla is a classic flavor and shouldn't be made fun of for its traditionalism. And what do you think you're doing? Use a bowl."

"Nope. I've claimed this as Simmons and Skye's ice cream. No bowl necessary."

Simmons scoffed. "Well, you can do as you'd like I suppose, but before it's completely tainted _I_  would like to get some in a bowl."

Skye offered up the container in front of her and Simmons went to work doing just that. Only problem was she seemed to get the sum amount of one spoonful.

"That's it?" Skye said incredulously. "A mouse would be disappointed with those rations. No wonder you're so skinny!"

"You're not exactly a chubby monkey yourself," Simmons pointed out.

"The way I eat? I'm going to look like that giant marshmallow dude from Ghostbusters, just give me time," Skye said, and a moment later she felt the color leave her face. She knew it was just a saying, but she couldn't help to overthink it. It seeped into her consciousness and doused her good mood.

She didn't have time.

"Fitz kissed me," Jemma said abruptly. "Twice."

"What?" Skye asked, unable to hide the excitement as she scooted closer to the scientist, instantly forgetting her woes. "Is this the first time it happened? Other than the whole twice thing, because I thought maybe at the academy… Wait,  _when_  did this happen? Was he good at it? Sorry, ok, shutting up. Just tell me everything."

Simmons looked almost embarrassed. She definitely wasn't glowing with excitement at the prospect of Fitz' romantic advances. But given what Fitz had said in the lab, which the two had forgot due to some freak amnesia, maybe Jemma wasn't on the same page as him.

"Well, the first time was actually in the woods, right when we found him. He saw me and… he kissed me."

"Jemma Simmons!" Skye laughed, or maybe giggled. She was feeling incredibly girlish. It was nice. "How have you not told me this earlier?"

"We've been a little too busy to be discussing something as trivial as my love life!" she stated.

Skye's raised her eyebrows with intrigue. " _Love_  life. Is that what this is? Did you two finally realize the inevitable?"

"The inev… It has not been inevitable!"

Skye took another mouthful of ice cream. "Maybe not to you guys, but…"

"I don't know," she interrupted, doubt in her voice. "Fitz has been acting so strange lately! When I thought he might, well, not come back, I began to consider that I had possible feelings for him."

"You did? That's great!"

"Yes but since he's been back, I don't know… he's just not the same."

Skye looked down. Well, she might as well tell her. "You know, you guys were having a pretty big fight or something right before Graviton attacked."

"We were?" asked Simmons curiously.

"Yeah. I walked in kind of near the end… but I caught some stuff. You were being really insistent on finding out how he got miracle-cured, while he was really insistent that you shouldn’t. And he brought up… he brought up the fact that you didn't want to date him."

Simmons’ cheeks flushed. "Oh… I suppose I must have told him then."

"Told him what?"

"I'd been debating telling him that I really didn't want anything romantic at the moment. But after the attack, he almost seemed to be himself again. So I just decided to see how it goes."

"That's great! I'm glad."

"Me too," said Simmons, a great deal of relief in her voice. They sat for a moment and Simmons pondered something as she looked at her ice cream.

"This would go really well with some apple crumble," she said wistfully.

"Hmm. Want to make some?" Skye asked. "We have apples."

" _You_ want to bake?"

Skye shrugged. "I'm feeling adventurous."

"Well I don't know the recipe! And I highly doubt we have all the ingredients."

"Let me go grab my laptop," Skye said, getting up and doing just that. She came back holding it to her stomach. The thing was still open from the last time she’d used it, before Fitz had caught up to her earlier.

"What's that?" asked Simmons, pointing to the screen.

Skye's eyes widened and, quick as she could, she minimized the windows.

"Nothing. Just hacker stuff. Boring, normal, hacker stuff."

"No, all those pictures! Who were they of?" asked Simmons curiously. "Come on!"

"Fiiiine," Skye relented with a sigh, bringing the page full of the Asgardian back onto the screen.

"Thor?" laughed Simmons. "What on earth are all these for?"

"It's a subreddit," Skye explained. "I like to look at him- I mean, when I'm sort of down or whatever, I like to look up pictures, sometimes gifs… and… he's really pretty, ok? Don't judge."

Simmons was giggling at her. "Oh Skye, that's completely adorable! He does have nice arms."

"They're bigger than my legs," she said, aware that it was somewhat dreamily. She had to admit, she was definitely a fan girl for Thor. Probably Tony Stark too, given that one time she’d hung out at the entrance to his tower. One time.

So Simmons humored Skye and they looked at Thor for a bit, until she admitted she also had somewhat of a crush on Bruce Banner. And  _not_  because of the fact that he could turn into a giant green monster, she insisted, but for his scientific abilities.

They then attempted to make an apple crisp out of apples and graham crackers, finding themselves in hysterics at what a disaster it turned out to be. Skye didn't have many girlfriends growing up, but she couldn't help but wonder if this was what having a sleepover was like.

So when Simmons apologized for becoming incredibly tired, Skye was a little disappointed, but she understood that the girl needed to get some rest. They both went to their bunks even though Skye was decidedly not tired. She didn't feel the need to look at her Thor pictures though, and not just because she and Simmons had already done that. That was her pass time for when she was upset.

Skye tossed and turned on her bed, trying to get comfortable with her laptop. She wasn't sure what to do. She wondered briefly how the rest of the team was doing, but they were in a radio silence –for Skye’s own protection, of course...- and she couldn't check up on them. She hoped they contacted the BUS soon.

Maybe she could go see how Fitz was doing. She knew he was working on the thing that could fuse her blood and some sort of machine together… Ok she had no idea exactly  _what_  he was doing but he was trying to take down Graviton. He was being productive, should she really stop him?

As she clicked away from another cat video on Youtube she decided to make that a yes.

Setting her computer over to the side of her bed, she hopped off and slid the door to her bunk open. She was trying to do so quietly as she knew Simmons was a light sleeper, but nearly shouted when Fitz called her name from so close.

"Skye?" he asked as she made her small jump in shock. He eyed her skeptically. "What are you doing? I thought you were off to bed for the night."

"I couldn't sleep," she told him quietly, aware that Simmons' bunk was nearby. "I wasn't trying to like… sneak out or anything."

"No, no, I didn't think you were, I just… can we talk?"

Skye didn't think Fitz had ever asked her for a private chat, but she nodded quickly and followed him as he sat down at the white seats some bit away from the bunks. He began tapping his leg nervously as she sat down.

"Look, Skye, it's just- I can't do… the thing is… gah, how do I say this?"

"Just spit it out, Fitz," Skye told him seriously, trying to make him get a grip.

"I'm not getting anywhere. On the machine for Hall, that is. I just can't figure out the science. And the blood- your blood… well, despite what Simmons said that doesn't look too promising either. I think she just hid it from you to keep you hopeful."

Skye looked down, trying to hide her disappointment. Sure, she'd been pretty resigned to the fact that she was going to have to go in two days anyhow, but at least there was that tiny sliver of hope that came with her friends trying to find out a solution.

Now there was just… nothing.

"That's ok Fitz. I wasn't… expecting anything really," she told him, putting on what was probably a pathetic excuse for a smile.

"And, well. I have one more thing," he told her. She encouraged him to continue with a nod. "I don't agree with Coulson making us monitor you. If you want to go, you should go."

Skye's eyes widened.

"Are you saying that if I decided to walk off of the BUS right now-"

"I wouldn't stop you. I'm sorry Skye, but you're right. You're very selfless to have wanted to do it on your own but you are just one person. And this is a whole species! If you stay, Coulson may try to not let you leave despite what he said about giving you a choice. And, well, that wouldn't really be fair to everyone it would hurt, would it?"

Skye swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Not only was Fitz saying he'd turn a blind eye.

He  _wanted_  her to go.

A day ago she would have been happy someone understood, that someone sided with her. But after finally having just a little bit of fun, living normally for two seconds, she didn't want to hear it. She wanted her last days left with her family. She didn't want to go meet up with the man that had fallen out of the sky just to take her life away, she wanted to stay with the people who had  _given_ her a life.

But what she wanted and what the greater good needed were too different things.

"No, it wouldn't," she finally choked out, voice on the verge of tears.

"It's only if you decide to go but, so you know, I'd come with you," he offered.

She stared up at him. "You would?"

"Sure. Rome seems like a nice place to holiday," he said, and they both laughed half-heartedly. "No but honestly, you shouldn't have to go alone."

He grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze with an accompanying smile.

This was it. She wouldn't see Coulson, May, Ward, or Triplett again, and she'd been so cold to them on their op earlier… She wouldn't even see Simmons. There was no time to write letters. What were the odds that Fitz would be alone again watching her within the next couple days? The team would be back soon so pretty much… none.

She sighed, realizing there was really only one right choice.

"I'll book us a train."


	26. Coulson's Melancholy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team talk to Sif. Skye and Fitz head to the colosseum for their meet up when Skye gets startling news.

"What makes you say that?" Coulson asked of Sif's hunch that they were being tricked.

"The Inhuman species is alive and thriving. They have had many children over the last twenty-five years. If someone is telling you this is not true, they are lying. I have seen the babes with my own eyes on my last trip to Hala."

This was exactly what Coulson was afraid of. Wolfe had been lying to them.

But it was, in fact, a great relief. A  _massive_  relief. If they could just find a way to keep Graviton at bay there would be no reason for Skye to give herself up to these people. She could live.

"We found the Terrigen Crystals," said Ward. "Are those really used to give Inhumans powers?"

"Yes. The Crystals in the correct temperature of water create mists that Inhumans inherit their powers from, through Terrigenesis."

"But your saying  _this_  ritual… it doesn't exist?" asked Coulson.

Sif shook her head. "There is no reason for it. The Inhuman species does not have need for such a thing. If your ally is to be a sacrifice, it is not for this purpose."

"So Wolfe is just a mad man that wants to see his daughter give herself up to be killed?" asked Ward, incredulous.

"Or there's a much worse outcome from the prophecy if Skye were to do it and he knew he wouldn’t be able to convince her, so he thought up some story," mused May.

"We have to get this information to the team," Coulson said, reaching for his phone. Strange this was, when he pulled it out, it was already ringing.

"They're breaking radio silence?" asked May.

"This can't be good," said Coulson, eagerly answering the device. "Hello?"

"I'm so sorry for breaking protocol sir, but I had to!" Simmons' panicked voice rang through from the other end. "I've looked everywhere. Both of their phones are turned off. There's no signs of struggle, but everything was fine and the blood samples are all missing-"

"Simmons, calm down," Coulson told her. "Tell me what's going on."

"It's Fitz and Skye sir! They're gone!"

"What do you mean gone?" he tried to clarify, prompting curious glances from everyone.

"They're not on the BUS, sir!" she told him frantically. "I went to sleep and I thought Skye did as well at the same time. Fitz was monitoring her from the computers in the lab… When I woke up they were just nowhere to be found, and I checked  _everywhere._ "

"Did you check the surveillance?" he asked her.

"Yes, it cuts out just after I go to my room," she said, leaving a long pause full of dread afterwards. "Do you think they were taken?"

"I don't know," Coulson said. "But from what you're describing I think Skye may have just convinced Fitz that she needed to leave."

"But… no! Skye wouldn't do that," protested Simmons. "She told me she wouldn't go anywhere and… and we had a really lovely night. It just doesn't make sense…"

She broke off into sniffles and Coulson could see he wouldn't get much more from the scientist.

"Ok Simmons, listen to me. If you come into contact give them this information: Wolfe was lying. The Inhuman species is fine, so there's no reason Skye would have to sacrifice herself."

"W-what?" Her voice was loud with disbelief. "But… then what does Wolfe want with her?"

Coulson sighed, pushing his fingers into his forehead. "We don't know."

"And she's walking right into their hands! Oh no, oh god…"

"You need to calm down," Coulson told her firmly. "When you hang up the phone message them the information in case they turn theirs back on. Then search the plane to see if you can find any semblance of clues."

A few more sniffles came from the other end before she spoke.

"Oh… alright," she said, seeming to grow accustomed to the information. "Ok, yes you're right. I'll do just that. And what will you do, sir?"

"We'll head to Rome and see if we can cut them off."

After some rushed goodbyes Coulson hung up the phone, looking back to his team and the unreadable Asgardian.

"That didn't sound good," said May.

"It wasn't," Coulson told her before his gaze shifted to Sif. "I know you said this was a short visit, but is there any way you can you stick around a while and help us?"

"I was only supposed to come deliver the message and depart…" she said uncertainly. "But if it is of great importance, perhaps I can spare some time."

"I feel like it might be," said Coulson. "Wolfe was threatening Skye with the destruction of entire cities, maybe even the whole planet if she didn't give herself up. If he thought  _that_  motivation wouldn't be enough that he felt the need to lie to her, I've got a bad feeling about what the real prophecy entails."

* * *

 

"This is actually kind of funny," Skye said as she pulled her gaze away from the train window. It was too dark to see much, but she could make out some of the large countryside.

"What?" asked Fitz, voice laced with confusion.

"It's just that we were barely ever alone on field assignments… me and you I mean. We're both techies, so we didn't get out much. Even when we were together Simmons would be around, but last time it was just you and me on a train in Italy." Skye shrugged. "Now it is again."

"Hmm, I suppose that is a bit funny," Fitz nodded his head as he mused. "In a coincidental way, not quite in the ha-ha way."

"No, definitely not ha-ha funny," she agreed, before looking out the window again.

_I wonder if I'm going to laugh again before I die._

The unwelcome thought popped into her head before she even could think to stop it, not that thinking usually could stop thoughts. The stuff you don't want to dwell on seems to always twist its way into one's brain. Really only one way to stop thinking: keep talking.

"And what's weird about that trip too is that it ended with me being shot, and now here I am walking off to another death sentence."

Maybe Skye said it too lightly, but she really did think it was funny. Quite the coincidence. Of course, it could just be that her current situation made her feel as though she were PMSing times one-hundred, and caused her to find humor in the event.

Fitz' didn't look amused.

"I know…" she sighed. "Not ha-ha funny, right?"

"Certainly not," he answered stiffly. *

Skye's eyes drifted away from him, back out of the window. She knew it was probably weird and uncomfortable for her to talk about her death that way, but it was happening. Shouldn't she be allowed to discuss it the way she wanted to?

Her mind apparently decided that to be a no, because they didn't talk for the rest of the trip to Rome.

When they did get there, the duo took a taxi to the main city from the train station, passing up large buildings and a more industrialized area than Skye would have thought Rome to be. She'd heard of the Colosseum and ruins and stuff, so she just figured it would be just a historic, older looking city. It was more like it _had_  been an ancient city, but a new one built up around it and tried to preserve what was left, which was basically the truth.

Skye could see the first of the day's light trying to make its appearance as they neared the center of the city, the darkness of night now seeming to dissipate away into a cool blue. It was almost too hopeful a sight for how she felt in this dismal predicament.

They passed up large buildings that seemed structured and important, though she couldn't be sure as she didn't know anything about Rome. If Fitz did, brainiac as he was, she wouldn't know, as he still wasn't saying anything. But Skye didn't think he was angry at her for talking about her death so flippantly. She guessed he just didn't want to say the wrong thing.

They glanced at ruins of the Forum on their way and Skye couldn't help but smile at the immense amount of history in front of her, even if she didn't know the facts behind it.

It was then that Fitz took her hand.

He held it all the way as they went to the Colosseum, which was big and old and impressive. She was nearly grateful for Wolfe to pick such a beautiful place to meet. Nearly because it was difficult to feel any amount of appreciation for that man. Scratch that; more like impossible.

"This is the entrance," mumbled Fitz. "But of course it isn't open at the moment, being so early. You don't think they want you to go inside?"

Skye shrugged.

"All he said was Colosseum in Rome," she told him, thinking back to her helpless state when she’d been given the instructions. She felt her breathing somewhat increase at the thought, bringing panic anew.

Not only was she being sacrificed, she had no idea what the ritual entailed or what they were going to do with her until it was time. Not to mention, every moment of life that was left would be with Wolfe. He might have been her father, but she realized as her panic peaked:

She was terrified of him.

"Skye?" Fitz' pitied and concerned voice suddenly rang out. The tone made her notice her own shaking.

"I'm scared, Fitz," she admitted in strained tones.

"Hey," he said firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You are the strongest person I know."

"Tch, yeah…"

"No it's true! If anyone can do this, save a species,  _you_  can."

Skye only lifted her quaking lips slightly to grin, as she was afraid if she actually tried to voice anything her tears would escape. She might have been a trembling terrified mess, but she was sick as hell of crying.

"Hello, Skye."

Skye's eyes widened. Not in fear but in surprise, though she wasn't sure why. It would make sense that the woman would be here.

"Raina," Skye acknowledged, the annoyance brought on by hearing her angled voice effectively ending her shaking. "This is just the cherry on top of a  _perfect_  experience."

"I assumed you wouldn't be happy to see me," Raina told her, walking calmly forward, her heels echoing across the pavement. "But we thought you may feel more at ease with me than… others."

Maybe not at ease, but Skye sure as hell felt more control. Which was stupid. She was giving herself up to these people to do whatever they wanted to her. Of course she didn't have anything remotely resembling control, save the choice to have come here.

But she'd rather feel the anger, annoyance and frustration brought on by Raina than the undiluted fear by Wolfe.

"So you've just been hanging out underneath the Roman Colosseum for a few days? That sounds obnoxious. I mean it's not like you knew when I was going to show up."

She chuckled, only heightening Skye's annoyance. "Of course we knew when you were going to come. Your team hasn't been the only one monitoring you."

Skye and Fitz shared a look.

"How do you know that? How've you been watching?" he asked.

"Does it really matter?" Raina asked as she quirked a brow.

"No, it doesn't," Skye realized with resignation as her eyes drifted to the side.

All of sudden a sleek black car drove up. It looked expensive, but Skye couldn't tell what the make was. Raina sashayed up to the vehicle and opened a back door to pristine leather seats, gesturing for Skye to enter.

"Shall we?" she asked, and Skye almost felt her trembling return. She warded it away the best she could, focusing on the fact this reminded her of a scene from some bad cop movie. Raina continued. "Agent Fitz can make the drive as well, if it makes you more comfortable."

Skye wanted to scream "yes!" as loud as she could.  _Any_ moments left with a familiar face would be heaven to her. But she knew she couldn't put Fitz in harm’s way like that.

Surprisingly, she didn't have to.

"I'd quite like to do that, actually," Fitz said, stepping up.

"No, Fitz," protested Skye. "You can't put yourself in danger like that."

"You're giving up your life, Skye. I think… I think I could take a small car ride so you don't have to be alone."

He was being so brave for her; it was amazing. God, she wished she didn't have to go…

"Are we ready then?" Raina prompted, her even voice pricking on Skye's nerves.

Skye was ready to sneer another remark when she felt Fitz' hand entwine with hers once again. She couldn't help but become subdued by the gesture. They both clambered into the back of the car. After shutting the door, Raina went to the front seat next to the unknown driver.

"Do I get to know where we're going?" Skye asked.

"You'll know when we arrive," said Raina.

"Great," she replied flatly, pursing her lips. "I'm guessing I don't get an ETA either?"

Raina grinned, as though Skye's questions amused her. "We're just going a few minutes."

A few minutes. A few minutes and the unknown would become known, Fitz would be gone….

Skye watched as Rome passed them by, the streets becoming busier as the sun rose in the sky. Sunrise always reminded her of hope. Right now it was just reminding her of another thing she wouldn't see again, along with her team, her laptop, any of her few belongings. Maybe they would even take her phone.

The thought scared Skye, even though she hadn't so much as thought to bring a charger. She did have a week left of life so she’d brought a bag of clothes – despite knowing if she'd be permitted to wear them or not – but keeping her phone charged or on her completely slipped her mind.

The idea made a slight panic run through her and she quickly got out her cell and, using the hand that Fitz wasn't currently clutching, turned it on.

She didn't have time for letters now, but she could at least send quick goodbyes. She had to, and she couldn't believe she hadn't realized it earlier. Fitz suggested they turn off their phones… but no, she had to do this.

When Skye turned on the device she wasn't surprised by the amount of messages she had. After all, she did do exactly what they were trying to get her not to. But the content of the message was a different story.

INHUMANS FINE.

WOLFE LYING.

PROPHECY DOES NOT EXIST.

Skye's heart beat faster than she thought possible as it dropped down in the pit of her stomach. She gasped, held her breath, bit her lip. She had to stop herself from having any sort of reaction and it was proving incredibly difficult.

The hacker looked around the still car and couldn't believe how quiet it sounded. Other than the blow from the air conditioning there was nothing, and she could swear they'd be able to hear the thumping of her terrified heart.

She discreetly tapped Fitz, who didn't seem to understand she was trying to do it under the radar.

"What is it, Skye?" he asked, and Skye noticed Raina cock her head to listen.

"Um… nothing. Never mind," she said lamely, but held out the phone so he could read the message. His eyes grew large.

When she knew he'd finished reading from his reaction she began to furiously type, once again holding out the phone for him.

WHEN CAR STOPS, RUN.

He nodded with determination. He must have been scared, but he was holding himself together better than Skye could have hoped.

The next minutes crawled on slowly, but eventually the car did stop. Skye had been trying to map out the area with her mind as they drove. They'd ended up in the more residential area of the city and it almost reminded Skye of where she'd used to keep her van parked in LA. They were definitely in an alley.

Skye saw Raina's head turn around to talk to them, but Skye was going to make sure she wouldn’t get the chance.

"Run!" Skye hollered, and they burst out of their respective doors.

"This way!" Fitz called, ushering her over to his side of the car. She sprinted over to him and prepared to keep going.

But she couldn't.

Skye made a startled grunted noise as someone grabbed her around the middle and began to drag her backwards. Her foot pounded into the man's as soon as she was restrained. When that did nothing to deter him, she turned her head about to go for the face, maybe try to bite or headbutt, but she was too shocked at whom she saw to continue.

"Fitz?" she gasped.

It actually made sense. There wasn't anyone else close enough to have grabbed her so quickly, but the thought that  _he_ would have stopped her escape was incredulous. Not to mention, when Skye thought about it, she should have easily been able to overcome him. She was training to be a field agent and knew for a fact her muscles were bigger than his.

She'd stopped digging her heels into the pavement for a few moments with the shock and had been easily gilded back to the car, but picked up the fight again once her mind caught up.

"Fitz what are you doing? Let go of me, you have to stop!"

"What's going on?" asked Raina, closing her car door as Fitz effortlessly rearranged his hands so that Skye's arms were pinned at her sides, his own still wrapped around her torso. Why could he keep hold of her so easily? She felt like a bodybuilder was holding her. Even her kicks that hit him seemed to do nothing.

"She knows," Fitz stated coldly. It was a voice Skye had never heard before from the man.

"Oh, well that is a shame," said Raina, before her lip curled upwards cruelly. "Somewhat a relief as well."

"What did you do to him?" Skye demanded, but got no response. She turned her head around to face the engineer. "Fitz, I'm your friend, you have to snap out of it. You don't want to do this-"

"Hush!" he snapped at her and Skye felt a pang of misery at the fact that it was Fitz' voice ordering her. She redirected her focus to the woman in front of her, anger and desperation spitting out with every word.

"You did something to him! You messed with his brain! Put him back!"

Skye felt like a dog on a leash as she tried to lash out at the woman with kicks and struggling, but Raina merely smiled at her. It wasn't even her signature tight-lipped small smile; it was a full-blown sneer. She didn't bother to respond to Skye's words and her gaze shifted back to Fitz.

"Does this mean we get to go to plan B?" she asked.

He shrugged, pulling off the gesture well enough with Skye squirming in his arms. "I don't see why not."

Skye's eyes flicked rapidly about the alley that held no one in sight. She just needed out, an escape. Her mind couldn't process this. She didn't understand!

"What's plan B? What do you people want!" Skye shouted, her voice turning decidedly desperate. "Fitz please, you don't know what you're doing."

"Oh dear god… its  _voice_ ," Fitz complained harshly. "You have no idea how much this one prattles on."

"I spent time with her. She's as talkative as she is foolish."

A passionate anger rile up inside Skye at that, her tone morphing from desperation to one of rage and spite.

"Yeah, well your voices don't sound too angelic either!" she screamed at them. They merely stared at her, calm as ever.

"See?" said Raina.

"Believe  _me,_  I know," said Fitz with exasperation.

"Just get her inside," Raina said, admonishing her coolly. "We have plenty of ways to get her quiet."

"Yeah, good idea."

Skye felt a kick on the back of her legs that forced her resisting knees to buckle and was soon enough moved forward. As her heels dug into the ground strenuously, she saw the lonely door they were heading for. That door could hold anything. She didn't know why they wanted her now, why she'd been lied to. She had no clue what would happen once she went through that door.

"No, no, no, no," she muttered quickly as the building approached. Pathetically. She summoned her bravery from whatever corner it had run off to. "Coulson will kill you when he finds me," she managed to growl. It was the only threat she could think of. "They all will!"

But all she got were laughs in return, and Skye's brazen attitude vanished. It vanished along with most of her pride, which was banished to some far off place when she began to scream for help at the top of her lungs. The noise escaped for only mere moments before Fitz' hand muzzled her mouth, far too tight for Skye to get her jaw open enough to bite.

The short plea for help she'd managed to elicit must have not been enough as none came. No one ran to her aid. No one seemed to care about the girl being abducted in the alley on the otherwise tranquil morning.

The sun finally made an appearance just before she was dragged inside, blinding her eyes with a viscous glare just before being pulled into the equally unforgiving dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh!! One more chapter in this part!


	27. Skye's Surrender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye finds out what Wolfe really wants from her, as well as what's wrong with Fitz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit! This chapter is hard for me to read over because of the Skye whump... hope it's ok for you guys!

"Is that it?” - "Finally!" - "I thought it was supposed to come willingly?"

Skye could barely make out the separate sentences of the anticipatory voices. They were all talking at once, and she felt as though she was listening through earmuffs. She wasn't sure if it was the aesthetics of the building, or just her fear and panic making its way to the surface, but the only thing she could hear clearly was the rapidness of her now frantic breathing pattern.

When Raina had opened the door to the building in an alleyway and turned on the lights inside, the hacker expected to see some sort of run down room with broken windows and rats. Maybe some exposed busted pipes.

Instead, it looked like what should be the interior of a cozy home's living room. The décor reminded her of her foster family the Brodys. There was a TV and couches and a kitchen table. The only thing that seemed off was a strange blue light coming from the back of the room. Still…

It didn't feel like a place that should hold this much terror.

"Well, plans change," Fitz told the boy simply as he dragged Skye, whose fight was still going strong, into the room.

There were maybe ten people in front of Skye, Fitz and Raina, including the driver who had come inside with them. Skye eyed them warily. They all appeared incredibly eager for something and she had no idea what. What was worse: every single pair of eyes was set on her.

"Oooh, can I see it then?" asked one boy. He seemed to be the youngest out of the group.

And… wait. Did she _recognize_ him?

“You?” she breathed. Skye decided she was definitely familiar with this teenage boy, though it had been under no better circumstances. “R-Ricky?”

It had been that awful night on the beach, when the three kids had kidnapped. When Wolfe had ‘ _saved_ ’ her.

Skye was finally beginning to realize how deep this plan went.

“Wow, it knows my name,” the boy said, grinning. “Sure am flattered. Now, are you gonna hand it over or what?”

"Well I'm certainly sick of holding it," Fitz told him. The kid smiled with what Skye could only assume was anticipation.

"Why are you calling me an 'it'?" Skye hissed. "I'm not-"

Her own grunt of surprise cut her off as she was shoved to the ground. Momentarily released, she took no hesitation before starting to pick herself up with the intention to run to the door. She was stopped and hulled up even faster by a hand running through her hair.

A new guy pulled her in front of his own face ruthlessly and she had to stand on her toes to help relieve the weight of her own body as he gripped her head.

She barely had a moment to realize it was another boy from that night at the carnival before a hand was on her arm, ripping her away from his comrade.

"I said I wanted to see!" he exclaimed, flipping Skye around so she was facing him.

Then there was tug on her foot.

She fell over herself, the back of her head smacking on the hard floor and she couldn't help but cry out from the sudden blip of pain. She slowly set her hands out to either side and was carefully lifting herself up into the seated position when someone pushed between her shoulders and she was shoved forward, catching herself on her hands not a second before they were kicked out mercilessly from under her.

For a moment Skye just stared at the ground unmoving, the laughter echoing through the room and her own erratic breath ringing through her ears. She felt paralyzed; fear her moving would provoke them.

"I don't even know why you want to touch it…" mumbled one of them. A girl, from the sound of it.

Skye finally decided to pick herself up off the ground when it seemed they weren't going to trip her again. The people were now forming a rough semi-circle around her.

"Because it's fun!" exclaimed Ricky, reaching out for her again.

With a near growl, Skye threw her fist forward into his face as hard as she could, just before kneeing him in the stomach. The punch didn't seem to do that much, but the kneeing had him doubled over.

Her triumph was short lived when she felt multiple hands grabbing rough fingers ripping through her hair or clutching at her face. They weren't just holding her up, or back. No, that would only take one of them, as they all seemed to be unnaturally strong.

They were fighting over her.

Skye yearned to ask what they wanted from her, but she expected only to be laughed at again.

The overwhelming situation had made her so desperately confused, an emotion that had become quite the companion these passed few days. Maybe they were Inhumans. Maybe they were so mad at her mother and father for crossbreeding and were taking it out on her.

All of a sudden Raina walked into her vision, the eerie smile she'd been sporting earlier still etched on her face. But now she held something in her hands: four grey bands.

"I have some Cuffs," she announced, to which the group looked thrilled.

The shoving and pushing heightened, since they all seemed to get very excited, offering up Skye's hands and legs at the same time others were trying to push her towards a wall.

It was as though she were a toy thrust into the hands of greedy toddlers told to share, and they gave no care to if their plaything broke. She thrashed against them, now yelling curses and empty threats because she had to say something. She couldn't just do nothing. She couldn't just let them do this to her!

But… they were.

"Lyja is the best at this."

"I just want to watch."

"Leave one hand down; I want to break its fingers."

A sob slipped passed Skye's mouth at the last statement mostly because of the person who'd said it. Not that it wasn't a pretty frightening thing to hear on its own, but to hear it come from Fitz' mouth with Fitz' voice was nearly unbearable.

She found herself with three of the bracelets forced onto her: two on her ankle and one on a wrist. With a click, they all lit up and the next thing Skye knew, the Cuffs were hurdling her against the wall.

She hit the surface with a pained gasp; her wrist held up above her head while the bracelets around her ankles secured her to the wall as well. Skye's free hand dangled only for a moment before she started to frantically tug and pull at the opposite cuff.

The whole group started forward as though to observe her, but Raina was the one to speak.

"Oh, Skye. Do you really think we would put you in something you could get out of?"

"Maybe!" Skye hissed, Raina's voice invariably bringing out her anger. "Personally, you've struck me as fairly stupid in the past."

Raina gave her a pout full of fake pity, the expression definitely seeming odd on her face. "If I'm stupid, Skye, how pathetic does that make you?"

"Where's Wolfe?" Skye asked firmly, ignoring the dig. Her voice had been found and she was not going to lose it again.

Fitz stepped up this time. "How about you focus on the one thing at a time?" He roughly pulled forward her hand, grabbing just over the gauze that surrounded the center of Skye's palm. "Like how much this is going to hurt?"

She shook her head rapidly, frowning in disbelief. Fitz was gone. It was his voice, his accent and his face, but this was in no way him. Just a few minutes ago he was acting normal, he was Fitz! What had these people done to him?

What were they going to do to  _her_?

Skye knit her eyes shut as she felt his hand grip two of her fingers.

"STOP!"

Fitz dropped her straight away, while Skye let out the shuddering breath she'd been holding in to prepare for the pain. The room was strikingly quiet as everyone's gazes turned to Wolfe, walking in with a stride that said he owned the place. Maybe he did.

Save for Fitz and Raina, the entire group backed away from Skye. She hung limp as a ragdoll on that wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he berated the two. Fitz glanced at Raina, whose head was turned down. So hestepped forward.

"Well… you see, she found out the Inhumans are fine," Fitz explained, in a frustratingly stammering tone that reminded Skye of _her_  Fitz.

Wolfe still looked angry. "So you desert the entire plan?"

"This plan hinged around that," said Raina. "We thought we could just move on-"

"You don't  _move on_  with out the say so from me," Wolfe growled.

"But she would have gotten away!" protested Fitz.

"Then you bring her inside, sit her on the couch, and come get me! You don't put  _Cuffs_  on the thing. You thought she could overpower you, is that it?"

Skye had pretty much been rooting for Wolfe and grateful that he’d shown up until that point. Her own father called her a thing? He must have really thought she was weak.

"We were just going to have a little fun…" mumbled Raina.

"You are not permitted to have fun with this one… at least physically. She is important. I know it seems ridiculous but that is the way it is.”

Fitz and Raina nodded their understanding.

"Now, get those things off," he ordered dismissively and Raina waved her hand over the "Cuffs". The glow switched off while they deactivated, clattering to he ground.

After taking a moment to catch her balance Skye stood up to her full height.

"My team told me the Inhumans are fine, Wolfe," Skye said. She hoped her voice sounded fierce, but at this point she'd settle for it just being even. "So what the hell do you want with me?"

He cocked his head, gave her a wicked smile. "The same thing. If not under somewhat… different circumstances."

"What do you mean?" she asked, attempting to ignore the audience she knew they had.

"Excuse me?" cut in Fitz. "Can we drop this bloody charade? I'm sick of this tiny body. I feel this incessant need to babble on all the time and the curliness of this hair is just ridiculous."

Wolfe rolled his eyes. "Well, I suppose there's no salvaging the plan now that you two decided to terrify the thing," he said with an air of anger, but smirked just after and softened his tone. "So sure, why don't we _show_  the little half-breed what's going on?"

The crowd seemed pleased by this, all nodding before they abruptly became still as statues. Focusing.

The room then began to change, to morph. It wasn't a living room anymore. In fact, it looked just like Skye would have thought it should. She watched in disbelief as the couches changed to old metal chairs and the table was nothing but some sort of discarded junk.

It could have been possible that Skye's already muddled mind might have been able to deal with a room completely changing its interior.

But then the people started to change.

Skye watched with wide eyes as every person in the room morphed, sans for Wolfe, into a green person. A green person with pointy ears and freaky red eyes.

They basically looked like goblins.

Now, Skye was a SHIELD agent. Skye was a SHIELD agent-Kree-Inhuman-prophecy-orphan- person, so maybe she shouldn't have been so shocked by this. But she was. Shocked, surprised, astonished… take your pick and it was probably what Skye was feeling.

It was extra disturbing because the eyes seemed to be the first thing to change, and to see her friend with blood red eyes before growing long ears, pointy teeth, and turning green was definitely something you could put in the nightmare pile.

Was this what they'd done to him? Had they made him a mutant?

But then she remembered…

Shape-shifting green aliens.

"Skrulls?" she asked, looking only at Wolfe and ignoring the fact that something downright insane had just happened in front of her. Ignoring the waves of shock that turned to terror as they hit her full force. Or she tried to, because those things were on the higher end of difficult to ignore. "You… you teamed up with them? But I thought you said you hated them! And…" her face paled with realization. "If that's… where is Fitz?"

Skye didn't want to hear the answer. She was _terrified_  of this answer, because in no way could this answer be good. But she had to know.

Wolfe laughed, large dark chuckles. Skye made sure to keep her eyes on the scary laughing man in front of her, because to not would mean looking at the green goblin aliens and she wasn't' sure if she could do that without hyperventilating.

"It's cute how you think you're entitled to answers," Wolfe told her.

"It's cute how you think I'm going to do anything for you if I don't get some."

The entire room of freshly changed creatures laughed at her (what  _was_  this, super villain boot camp?), and she realized even she was shocked at how brazen she had sounded. Maybe she  _was_ stupidly bold.

"You know, why not?"

Wolfe waved his hand. Near where the blue light in the corner of the room was coming from, Skye saw some sort of pod slip out. A pod approximately the size of a person.

She immediately ran towards it, not even thinking of repercussions if someone was to stop her. Luckily, no one did.

It was a machine, though a strange one at that. Skye had never seen anything look quite like this and she knew for a fact it was alien technology. A lot smoother with strange symbols on the outside.

And Fitz was floating.

He appeared to be asleep, as to her great relief she could see his chest moving evenly up and down.

"What did you do to him?" she sneered, still staring into the glass.

"What did _we_ do?" Wolfe asked incredulously. "Your people left him to die! And he would have, if Lyja hadn’t been quick enough to think he could be useful in the future."

A Skrull with long dark green hair stepped forward, still wearing Raina's flower dress.

"Even working for that silly little Hydra, I still had my home's technologies." She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Like I could deal with this place without them. Terra is just… hopeless."

"Raina…" Skye mumbled thoughtlessly, her eyes fixated on her dress' blue flowers.

"Oh, that one is dead," said Wolfe. "Bartak had that honor."

The one wearing Fitz' clothes stepped forward. Skye felt a sliver of gratitude come forth that he no longer looked like Fitz. The killer's smile on  _his_  face would have been near too much to handle.

"Inhumans are vermin. It was my pleasure to do the service."

"So you just want to torture and kill me because I'm gross to you?" Skye asked near-breathless, once again having to steel her nerves. "Is that why I'm here?"

"Oh, wouldn't  _that_  be nice…" mumbled Lyja.

"No," Wolfe told her. "We still need you for the ritual."

"But there is no ritual!" Skye said with exasperation. "The Inhumans are fine."

"We don't want to save the disgusting creatures, we want to destroy them!" Lyja shrieked suddenly.

She covered her mouth hastily just after the words slipped out, as if she'd said more than she should have. By the glare she was getting from Wolfe, she had.

"This ritual will _kill_ the Inhumans?" Skye exclaimed.

Bartak then stepped right up into her personal bubble, forcing her to lean back over Fitz' med pod as far as she could to avoid him. There was a literal monster, like something you'd find at a Haunted House, a fairy tale, pressing his face closer to hers.

"Every last one of them," he whispered harshly.

Skye frowned, picking herself back up and nearly knocking Bartak on the nose.

"I'm not going to do that," she told him, voice laced with as much incredulity and grit she could muster. "I won't kill myself so a whole species dies with me. Forget it."

More freaking laughter coming from her father, and Skye's mind couldn't decide if it wanted to make her spit on him or pee her pants.

"The terms haven't changed. Graviton may not be here at the moment, but he is still on _my_ side. That man will do anything for a glimpse at an alien world." Wolfe chuckled as though amused and shook his head, making Skye think he didn't think very highly of the scientist. "The Inhumans are actually somewhat more advanced than this tiny human race you've become associated with, so the man's gravity powers wouldn't do much good there. But here on Terra... the poor saps wouldn't even know where to begin defending themselves, would they?"

 _SHIELD would try,_  thought Skye. They  _had_  been trying to work on something to defeat Hall.

Wait. No they hadn't.  _Fitz_  had been working on something. And since that wasn't really Fitz...

SHIELD had nothing.

"So if you don't do this  _Skye_ ," Wolfe spat, "the entirety of earth is in jeopardy. Starting with your friend behind you. Because, as I recall, 'if someone threatened a person you care about, you would do  _anything_ for them.'"

Wolfe's mocking voice for Skye was decidedly pathetic, but it rang through her ears with truth. She had admitted that to him. She'd admitted it to him when she'd been foolish enough to trust the bastard.

Skye looked at Fitz' sleeping form. Maybe… maybe it would be better if she did say no, sacrifice Fitz. An entire species… but then, Wolfe was also threatening this entire planet if she refused. The species she'd come to know as her own. All of her friends, herself…

This wasn't fair. Why did anyone have to die?

"You know, we can actually speed things up a bit," said Wolfe, snapping his fingers.

The glow on the machine beside her subsided. Fitz was somehow still floating, but his back stretched violently, and Skye could hear ragged breaths coming from his mouth.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, fairly certain she already knew. She found herself frantically looking for a way to turn the machine back on.

"Killing him," Wolfe said simply. "If you pledge loyalty to the sacrifice, right now, I will return him to you."

Her mind reeled as she watched Fitz' body shake. This was Ward all over again, but it wasn't a backstabbing Hydra traitor in there. And as much as she realized now she still had feelings for Ward, this choice was so much simpler.

"I'll do it," she stated, face pressed up against the glass of the pod.

"Now, don't just be saying that. You have to mean it."

"I mean it!" she wailed suddenly, tears starting down her face now as she banged half-heartedly on the glass in frustration, almost trying to will him awake on his own. "Just turn it back on! Make him better!"

With another simple click, the machine's glow and gentle hum resumed. Fitz' status of sleeping peacefully returned just after.

Skye stared at the man in the pod, her body trembling from what she'd just agreed to. For a moment all she could hear was the sound of her own ragged breaths.

"Want him to be restored?" asked Wolfe casually. "These machines can do that."

 _Duh!_  Of course she wanted him better. That wasn't even a question.

She wanted to have attitude, to tell Wolfe off. But the tears were flowing now and her throat felt so tight, she was afraid if she spoke it would just be some sort of croak. So she just gave a firm nod, still staring at the pod so her _father_ couldn't see her face.

A few moments of brighter glowing later, the pod opened with a hiss. Skye reached her head over to see Fitz, blinking feverously as he tried to adjust to the light.

"Bloody hell, that is bright!" he said, his hand coming to rest of his eyes. He shot up in his seat, Skye moving her head away quick enough to avoid a collision. He squinted. "Skye? Is that you?"

She swallowed hard. "Yeah, Fitz. It's me."

"Where the hell…" he mumbled, until his eyes lit up. "The ocean. Simmons! Skye, is Jemma alright?"

"She's fine," Skye choked out. "They're all fine."

Skye was trying so hard to hold back her sobs. He was clueless. That… the Skrull had been with them for days and no one had noticed. No one had picked up on it! Maybe Jemma… but she’d still thought the engineer had been there with them even if she’d noticed him being somewhat off.

Meanwhile, Fitz had been in danger and no one had even been looking for him. Skye was so appalled by the thought that she was grateful he didn't have to be awake throughout the experience.

Maybe she shouldn't have even woken him now.

It would have been a lie to say she wasn't comforted by the mere presence of her friend next to her. But in a few moments he would be terrified. He will have escaped one life-threatening situation just to land in another. That wasn't fair.

None of this was fair.

"Where's Garrett? And Ward? And… where are we, for Pete's sake!" Fitz said as his eyes were finally adjusting, and he attempted to get out of the pod. Skye took his hands to help guide him and he got a look at her face, his own immediately gaining one of concern. "Skye, what's the matter?

She blinked long and hard, trying to get rid of the water blurring her vision. Maybe she should have been focusing on her throat. Her voice sounded watery and thick.

"We're in trouble, Fitz," she quaked.

"Um, uh…" He was staring behind her, seeming so shocked she wasn't even sure he heard her. "Are those… green people? Did I damage my head or something?"

"Oh no," said Lyja shortly as she walked over to them. Skye made sure Fitz was securely behind herself, blocking him from the alien's direct sight. "We are  _not_ going through the questioning thing again. It was annoying enough with that thing."

There she went, calling Skye a thing again. Did they really think she was this disgusting?

"I just don't understand!" screeched Skye, frustration starting to spill over her fear. "Why are you doing this, Wolfe? Why would you betray your own goddamn  _species_?"

"Is… is he a SHIELD agent?" asked Fitz, probably taking note of Wolfe's attire.

Skye didn't like ignoring Fitz, but he was being exceptionally good at not noticing the direness of the situation and she was feeling it much too well to do such a thing. Instead, she just watched nervously as the man who called himself her father walked towards her. She was shaking in her shoes, but she still looked him right in the eyes, her own filled with so much tears and spite.

"You really are an idiot aren't you?" he chided, only making her possibly petulant frown grow. "It usually comes so easy to display the emotions of those we mock. Heck, sometimes it's hard not to even if we try!" He laughed only momentarily, just before his face gained a look of utmost disgust. "But to say I was  _proud_  of you. To call you  _my_ blood, when you are made up of the two most repulsive creatures in the entire universe, was actually incredibly difficult. Of course I'm very skilled so I was able to display most of the emotions your true father would, but I may have lost it a couple times…"

Skye closed her eyes as disbelief and despair hit her in another wave.

"You're a Skrull too," she whispered. It wasn't a question, and she even wondered how she didn't realize it sooner.

"Bingo,  _kiddo_!" he told her in a voice that held so, so much mockery.

His footsteps rang loudly as he approached her, but Skye didn't open her eyes until she felt his hand gripping her chin. She gasped, wishing she had let herself see sooner, just to prepare for...  _him_ being so close. She should have opened them when she heard Fitz' distressed "oh my god" from behind her.

But she hadn't, and now couldn't help the shiver up her spine caused by the terrifying green face in front of her.

He was larger than Wolfe, with muscles clearly visible and he had a strange spiky haircut, as though someone put four cones on his head. It reminded Skye of a body builder-biker-gremlin sort of thing. Like the rest of them, he was a dark shade of green.

"And you should get used to us," he whispered harshly as he held her still, in a voice that was so much deeper and darker than Wolfe's and had a strange reverberating growl that came with it, "because we're going to be who you spend the rest of your increasingly short life with."

Skye didn't have a quip. Didn't have a way out. All she could do was try to keep the fury in her features as she seethed, and try to ignore the pain as his fingernails dug there way deeper into her chin.

"I thought you said we weren't allowed to hurt her, Paibok?" said Lyja pointedly, and Skye realized she must have been showing some outward discomfort. Or maybe Lyja was just well tuned to when someone was in pain.

" _You_  are not allowed to harm her. I don't trust you won't kill her," he said, releasing Skye's chin. He wiped off the hand that had been holding her absentmindedly on his shirt, seeming thoughtful. "But we may do something else… hmm. Half-breed?"

That was what Randolph had called her. She met his eyes to show him she was listening, but he seemed to require a verbal answer.

"Yes?" she snapped shortly.

"Show us your loyalty to the cause," he said, spreading an inviting gesture in front of himself. "Bow."

 _"What?"_  she said in disbelief.

"Bow down and pledge yourself as the sacrifice."

Skye took a sharp breath, not sure when she was planning to release it. She spared a glance back at Fitz. He was still sitting up in the alien med pod and he actually looked stunned enough into not speaking, not that she could blame him. She turned back to the Skrull called Paibok.

"No," she pronounced. "I said I'll do it and I will, no need to 'pledge' myself or something. Or is the whole situation just not weird and creepy enough for you yet?"

"How am I to know you're dedicated to the cause if you won't show it?" he asked with fake innocence, beginning to circle her. "We can have a repeat of earlier, but you know it will only cause the same results."

Hurt Fitz. He meant they would hurt Fitz.

And she would cave, just like before.

"Well?" prompted Paibok, and she could hear the whisper of eagerness go through the crowd of aliens.

Skye pursed her lips, more out of frustration than contemplation.

People didn't bow. Did she even know how to bow? If she'd ever seen anyone bow it was a man. Maybe some sort of royalty, or people going to an occasion that was _way_  too formal for the likes of her to be invited to.

Not knowing exactly what to do, she began to dip her head forward and-

" _No,_ " scolded Paibok, as though growing frustrated with a child. "I said to bow  _down_."

For a moment she didn't understand what he meant. Still, it clicked in her mind fast enough. For whatever reason, these people clearly hated her. They were itching to see her pain. And since they couldn't do that… they were doing the next best thing to watch her suffer. They were wounding her pride.

And she had to comply. She might be a dead woman walking, but Fitz wasn't. The  _human race_  wasn't.

She had to do this.

So Skye, with a heavy sigh that showed her fierce opposition to the matter, knelt down one knee at a time. She never took her eyes off the Skrull, her fiery gaze bearing into him with all the contempt she could muster as he looked back at her with an infuriating smirk.

She could feel Fitz' own stare on her back, but had no inkling as to what his face may be displaying. She was completely focused on the creature in front of her.

Eventually her eyes had to leave the alien, as her head lowered down in front herself. She felt as though she were in some deranged yoga class when her hands stretched forward to lie on the ground. She heard the snide comments of satisfaction and laughter around her, and felt fresh tears of frustration as the thought came to mind that they could make her do anything they wanted. Pull her strings and make her dance like a puppet.

And as much as she hated it, herself and every single one of those creatures around her, she laid her head down in front of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I hope that wasn't too weird or confusing! I've been researching for this, including watching some Marvel cartoons and reading comics and what I've taken away from it is that aliens are WEIRD and the evil aliens are CREEPY. I made the bowing even more creepy than I had actually intended to be honest, but it's just gonna stay because it is what it is. 
> 
> Paibok, Lyja and Bartak are Skrulls from the comics. They are most likely out of character, I am basing them only slightly off the originals. Lyja is probably the most off. But at the beginning of the comics, she really wasn't too nice as she was teamed up with Paibok. Then again, I really didn't even look into Bartak all that much and it was months ago I did the research so I dont' even know anymore, sorry. Take it with a grain of salt!
> 
> Key Points (If Confused):  
> -Though the only Wolfe Skye has ever known was really Paibok, a man incredibly similar to him that is her real father exists. (Kind of like how they did Mad Eye Moody in Harry Potter)  
> -Raina was really a Skrull. The real one's now dead.  
> -Fitz has been a Skrull this whole story up til now (DON'T HATE ME)  
> -The prophecy for Skye to save the Inhumans was a lie. The real prophecy, in which Skye still has to die from being exposed to the mists on her birthday, will kill the species. If she doesn't agree, Graviton will start destroying cities on earth.
> 
> That concludes this story! Please let me know what you think and I look forward to seeing you in part 3 :)


	28. Next Part

Hey guys! Just wanted to tell subscribers that part three is up. Here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5267630/chapters/12154832


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